Robotic Illusion
by Lefthandedfreak
Summary: Joey, Kiaba, Yugi, and Yami have finally gotten together. Life seems grand until Joey noticies that something's missing. Continuation of Fate's Underhanded Tactics. Chobits crossover
1. Chapter 1

**LefthandedFreak:** I'm back and crazier than ever! And now, I'd like you all to meet my friend, Josh, a Figment of my Imagination.

**Josh, Figment Man:** (darkly) joy. I hate you all. (Lefthand hits him)

**LefthandedFreak:** Boy, you make Kaiba look like some sort of daisy picking freak!

**Kaiba:** I resent that… highly.

**Josh, Figment Man:** Well, I might be a bit happier if someone hadn't dragged me away from what I was doing.

**LefthandedFreak:** Who cares about how many Pegasus things you have? (he glares) Anyways, this is the continuation of my last story "Fate's Underhanded Tactics". This we'll be just as cool as the last one, hopefully, and with a lot less mistakes.

**Josh, Figment Man:** You are one big mistake. What makes you think you can prevent them? (she hits him with a fish)

**LefthandedFreak:** Just hush and do the Disclaimer.

**Josh, Figment Man:** LefthandedFreak owns nothing. NADA. Anything mentioned has either been mentioned before somewhere else or belongs entirely to someone else. Besides, do you honestly think she'd be here IF she owned Yugioh?

**LefthandedFreak:** Maybe, I'd just be writing in a different section. Then again, I'd also be cruising the town in a sweet convertible, giving out cheese to all those unfortunate cheese less people.

**Josh, Figment Man:** She lacks the brain cells people!

**LefthandedFreak: **(pulls out a Ryou Bakura doll) Now before I beat you with your least favorite character, let's let everyone read the story? Have Fun!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Help!

* * *

It was a normal day in the Kaiba mansion that Monday morning. The birds chirped, the breeze swept through the trees-

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

-And Seto has just managed to trip over a toy train, causing him to careen forward, tipping a bit to the left, and falling, painfully, down the stairs.

Yep, perfectly normal.

Sitting up, Kaiba rubbed his head, which he should have waited to do for soon after the toy itself landed on his already bruised skull. Cursing, he pulled the toy up for a better look and raised a brow. "Um?" When had he bought a toy train?

"Oh, Seto, I'm sorry, that's mine." Ah, and here comes our lovely blonde resident now, pulling a shirt on as he careened down the stairs, just a little more balanced. Kaiba grimaced as Joey snatched the toy from his grasp.

"Why, and please make this a logical answer, do you have a toy train?" Joey appeared a bit nervous as Kaiba raised a brow.

"Um…well…", Joey stuttered, racking his feeble mind for a good answer. "Um, I like trains?" If Kaiba weren't hurt as it was, he would have proceeded to bury his head in his free hand with force.

"Really? So you decided to take your love for trains and, may I add, dangerous sports, mix them together, and test out the result on me?" He was really going to need some strong coffee at work today.

"Um, well I wasn't expecting you to trip over it and careen (AN: Notice I like this word) down the hard, solid concrete, with nice plush carpet, stairs." Joey spoke, trying to add a bit of humor to an already dead situation.

"Wow, Yugi look, there already getting into it this morning! I thought you didn't do that sort of thing before work Seto?" Yami, yet another resident, along with Yugi, proceeded down the stairs, a devilish smile on his face as Yugi rolled his eyes. Kaiba was a bit confused by what Yami had said. That is, until he looked at his current position.

"I don't. Joey decided to test out his train ramp on a poor unsuspecting victim." He grumbled as he stood up, helping Joey up as well.

"Hey, success!" Joey chuckled but stopped at Kaiba's glare. "Ahah….um, actually, it was an accident." Yami seemed a little too happy about this.

"Hmm, I didn't think I'd have to 'punish' you this early!" Yugi rolled his eyes again.

"I swear Yami, if I didn't love you, I would never have showed you anything about sex. You've become a fiend!" Yami just laughed openly as Kaiba glanced at his watch. "Anyways, what was that about a toy?" Joey shrugged and revealed the small wooden object.

Yami eyed the toy, almost like he was suspecting it to capture his soul, as Yugi raised a brow.

"Um, why do you have a toy train?" Well, as any reasonable person would have done, they would most likely decide to answer with their great and brilliant answer from earlier! Everything would match and no one would think anything else.

But, this is Joey were talking about.

"Oh, is that the time? I got to go bye!" And before anyone could say another word, Joey had dashed down the hall and out the door. Yami peered at the door.

"That was…. sudden."

"I've never seen him move so fast…well, unless it's for food.." Yugi added.

"Or sex!" Yami chirped.

"Oh it's always sex with you isn't it?"

"Why not? It's not too bad is it?"

"If your not allergic"

"People our allergic to sex!" Yami seemed shocked by the idea.

"Something's up." Kaiba, who was still looking at the door, snagged Yugi and Yami's attention, voiced his wisdom.

"How do you know that?" Yugi asked inquisitive like. (AN: Awww)

"Well, a couple of reasons actually. Reason One: Joey has been wandering out everyday this week, including Sunday, yet he hasn't mentioned a job like he would and isn't complaining. Reason Two: He seems glum a bit when he leaves and then when he returns, he's cheerful. And Reason Three.." Kaiba pointed to the floor.

A rubber duck peeked happily at the three that where staring at it.

"So…does he need to be punished?"

Even the duck managed a look.

"What?"

* * *

So that's how our dynamic duo, due to the fact that Kaiba had work, were tailing Joey in hopes of finding what he was doing. Through trees and bushes, across ponds and alley's, when they could have just tailed him since he was on busy sidewalk but, hey, who ever heard of a good tailing scene doing something so simple as that?

Anyways, Yami, after performing a neat duck and roll to a very un neat and extremely thin pole, you know, the kind not worth hiding behind, peeked his head out and watched as Joey strolled into a park.

"Yami, what are you doing?" Yugi, a bit undramaticly, stood behind Yami and stared down at his crazy counterpart, who was at the moment, trying to figure out how to keep both feet from being seen.

"Hiding nonchalantly!" Yami replied as Yugi rolled his eyes.

"This is going to be a long day." With that, he pulled Yami out from behind the pole. "Don't worry about hiding, you look silly. Let's worry about Joey!" He pointed to the blonde teen.

They both stopped and watched what he was doing. He was smiling, like he hadn't done for a few days without force, and passing out toys, including the train, to the children who were playing.

"Um, Yugi, is Joey having a mental problem? I think he thinks he's Santa."

"Yami, that's an establishment problem your thinking about and I hope not." Yugi corrected.

"So? It has to do with the mind too, right?"

"I guess so but mental seems to be considered crazy"

"But an establishment problem also has to do with being crazy, right?"

"Not precisely. Sometimes it means having a hard time fitting in."

"……. So why would he think he's Santa if he's having trouble fitting in?"

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Yugi and Yami both jumped, too deep in conversation to notice that Joey had spotted quite a while ago and had approached them. He was fiddling with his shirt.

"Oh Joey, we where just, uh?… Yami, why don't you tell him?" Yugi laughed nervously, nudging Yami in the side.

"Um, well, we where um…"Yami thought hard.

"Following me right?" Yami nodded quickly as Yugi buried his head in his hands.

"That's it…uh, I mean no".

"No need to deny it. I kind of figured you guys would try and follow me. So I guess your wondering why I'm here?" Joey questioned.

"That and if you have a mental or establishment problem." Yami inquired lightly as Joey glanced at Yugi who just shook his head.

"Um, right. Uh, let's sit down and I'll answer your… questions"

* * *

After finding a bench that wasn't covered in filth and occupied, the three sat down, Joey a little bit more uncomfortable. Joey looked at the ground, Yugi looked at Joey, and Yami, well, that's not important. After a bit of uncomfortable silence Yugi spoke.

"So, mind telling us why your acting like some sort of miracle toy giver?"

"And why you've been down lately?" Yami, magically, decided to act serious. Not like he couldn't, he had just recently figured out what humor was called and was trying to use it whenever.

Joey sighed. "Well, it's kind of weird. See, um, I sort of-"

"Oh my god, Joey, please tell me your not 'attracted' to children!" Yami sputtered as Yugi tried to hold back a giggle.

"What, no, nothing like that. DEFINITELY nothing like that. Thing is, I want to, oh, how should I put this, have a child" If looks could talk Yugi would have been saying a million words.

So Yami decided to help him out. "Oh, well, um, can't really help that since your not equipped correctly and-" Joey sighed.

"I didn't mean literally! But I would like us to have a child, all together, but the thing is we'd never have time. Kaiba's always so busy, you two are hardly ever home, and I don't know the first thing about raising a kid." Yugi glanced at Yami.

"Well, we could always work something out. I mean, we are sort of young to be worrying about children, but I'm sure Seto could do something. Besides, I'm sure if he had a child, he'd make sure to be home most of the time to help."

"Yeah, he's not that heartless!" Joey, Yugi, and Yami nearly jumped fifty feet. A young blonde woman had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaning against the park bench, smiling sweetly at the three. It took a moment of shock to actually realize who she was.

"Aphrodite! What are you doing here?" Aphrodite pouted at Joey's question.

"Oh, I see, just cram me with questions, see if I care. Don't bother to say you've missed me, oh no, don't be nice.." Yugi hugged her as she stood stiffly.

"Ah, come on, you know we've missed you, a bit since we hardly knew you all too much, but it's kind of hard not to ask questions when you've been gone for about five months without contacting." Aphrodite relaxed a bit and sighed.

"Yeah, I know, we've been having some difficulty upstairs. Replacing Hades is like pulling teeth an no everyone think the position on Fate is jinxed…" she paused and looked at the others. "Which reminds me of why I'm here. We finally found Fate's last request."

The three smiled!

"Bad news is, we can't translate it. She wrote it in some secret language of hers. That's Fate for you. Can't do anything simple without making it challenging first." She sighed. "But don't worry, we're working our hardest to find out what she wanted. So, what's this I hear about wanting a child?"

Yugi spoke for Joey seeing that the blonde really didn't want to talk about it again. "Well, see, Joey's, what do woman call it, clock, is ticking." Aphrodite burst into laughter.

"Oh, Joey now how's paternal instinct! Funny, never really met a man with one!" Joey buried his face in his hands.

"I don't LITERALLY want to have one I'd just like to have someone to raise, as my own child. Is that too hard to comprehend?"

"Chill tiger, I understand you. I just thought what Yugi said was funny, not you actually wanting a kid. I think it's great!" The three looked at her.

"Really?" Joey inquired.

"Yes, really. You all seem capable of raising one. I mean, not considering the fact that your all seventeen and sex crazed, I think you'd be fine parents."

"Well, no matter how fine we may be, Kaiba would never go for it. He still has Mokuba to raise. He wouldn't have time." Aphrodite didn't say anything at this, just smiled slyly.

"Well, I think you just need to talk to him, that's all. Now due to terrible inconvenience, and because I want to, I must take my leave. As soon as we find out Fate's last request, we'll contact you." With a small pop, just for effect, she disappeared, leaving our three guys to talk.

But where has Aphrodite gone?

* * *

Kaiba sat at his desk, burying the back of his head into his comfy chair and sighing. He may not be able to spend a lot of time in a comfy bed but this was just as good. Eyes closed, he carefully reached out to grab his coffee, searching his desk to no avail.

"Is this what your looking for?" Kaiba nearly fell out of his chair as he opened his eyes, finding Aphrodite sitting in the air inches away, coffee in hand.

"You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on people." Aphrodite shrugged.

"You really shouldn't jump. You could have knocked this on me you know." Kaiba, pulling himself back into his chair, sat up rigidly, as if he where in some sort of business meeting.

"Oh don't seat stiff. I'm not pulling your teeth out you know. Besides, it's bound to be bad for your back" She waited for Kaiba to loosen up a bit before floating down and sitting on the edge of his desk.

"I came to talk to you about Fate's last request." Aphrodite played with a paperweight as Kaiba carefully took his coffee, eyeing her as he did so.

"Why didn't you wait until I was with the others? I'm sure they'd like to know it." She shrugged lightly before glancing at him.

"Oh, they will, but it was more of a thing you'd be able to solve. See, she wanted the last couple she ever worked with to have a kid. A girl to be precise." Kaiba raised a brow.

"Well that's sort of, um, weird to say. I mean, we are guys you know. Anyway, we could have kids later." Aphrodite shook her head.

"She pacifically said as soon as this is read." Kaiba looked at her.

"So why are you just now talking to me?"

"We had to translate it." She shrugged before tipping the weight over, causing a dull thud. Kaiba sighed. He really didn't know if he had time for a kid or if the other three even knew how to raise one. But Fate had clearly stated what she had wanted and seeing how she did get him together with the others…

"Alright. I'll talk to the others about it. We'll see about adoption." Aphrodite smile darkened.

"That's the problem. She also stated that she wanted the child to be a product of the couple. No adoptions. And as seeing as all of you are males, this makes it a bit difficult. We can't just make you pregnant, that'd take decades to work out the jinks, so we're sort of stuck. That's why I came to you. I wanted to see if you'd know what to do."

"Well, under the circumstances, no, I don't." He shook his head. "She just had to make this hard." He paused for a second. "Tell me, exactly how did she state the whole letter, or whatever?" Aphrodite glanced at him and paused.

Seconds later, with a small poof, a square object with buttons and numbers appeared.

It was Jerald the Calculator. "You called Aphrodite?" Kaiba eyed the object, having seen it before. He had never really met this, Jerald, but Yami spoke avidly, almost regrettably, about him.

"Yes Jerald. Did you bring my copy of Fate's request?" Jerald promptly pulled the paper out of the air, with his little calculator body, and slid it over to Aphrodite. "Thank you." Clearing her throat, she addressed Kaiba.

"Dear Whoever,

I really don't know how this stupid thing works. Seems a little trivial to me. Oh well. Anyways, I've decided what my last request will be! That's why I'm here.-"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, keeping a hard look, though he really wanted to smile. Only Fate would make a last request sound like some sort of Diary entry.

"-Seeing that I really don't have much to offer I've decided to make this a bit simple. I would really like if the last couple that I get together, because Aphrodite's slacking, and Dity, if you're reading this, phooey on you, would have a child. And not just any child.

A child made of their love! I'm not against adoption or anything I'd just like for this to happen. I don't really care how they have the child, just as long as it's born of their love for each other. Also, if the couple seems a bit harmful, like the cembalist and that psycho clown I worked with, ignore them. Find a couple suitable! Thank you.

Till whenever

Fate" Aphrodite folded the sheet back up. Kaiba was thinking, leaning against the back of his chair. It seemed to involve a lot of brain cells due to the look on his face. Then again, he probably looked like that every time he thought.

"This is aggravating", Kaiba broke the silence as he ran his hands through his hair. "How am I supposed to do this? I'm not a miracle worker. Besides, the others may not be up to it." Aphrodite shook her head.

"Actually, you know how Joey's been acting lately?" Kaiba raised a brow. What did that have to do with anything?

"Yeah"

"Well, it's because he wants a child. It seems weird especially for his age, I know, but he seems so consumed by this. You know, he goes to the park to play with the kids there?" Kaiba just stared at her as she sighed at the thought. "You know he has a way with kids"

"He would have told me if he wanted a child." Aphrodite peered at him, uncrossing her legs and tilting closer.

"Are you sure? You've seen how he's become. I myself would have waited to tell you this, allowing to figure out how we would make this work, if he wasn't so down."

"But why would he hide it?"

"Maybe he's afraid that you'll disapprove? You do have a company and your little brother, who I've heard is getting along great in that boarding school he wanted to go to, to take of. He doesn't want to force you to do something you don't want to."

Kaiba sat in silence for a moment as he peered at Aphrodite. She was probably right. Besides, he couldn't stand seeing Joey so down. He looked like death had crossed over. He wanted to make Joey happy. He also wanted to know something.

"Did you send a little girl to my house last Sunday? Joey started acting really down after talking to some girl that supposedly showed up on our doorstep but I checked. There was no trace of her even being there." Aphrodite raised a brow.

"No, we didn't send anyone. Wonder who she was." Kaiba nodded, excepting this answer as enough.

"Alright. I'll do what I can. I want to make Joey happy." Aphrodite smiled.

"And it might say that you're sorry for not always being able to be home." Kaiba nodded as Aphrodite stood.

"I'll keep in contact with you. Try to think of something. We will. Jerald." Kaiba had forgotten all about the calculator as it floated to her side before they disappeared.

"Fate, you sure know how to cause confusion."

* * *

**Kaiba:** Aphrodite lied?

**LefthandedFreak:** maybe(looking for Josh) blast he's a good hider.

**Kaiba: **He's a smart man.

**LefthandedFreak:** Watch it stick boy.

**Kaiba:** I loathe you with every fiber of my being.

**LefthandedFreak:** Just be happy that I actually finished this chapter. Anyways, hopefully it wasn't too boring or too confusing. Till next time! (Flips over a pot Finds Josh.)

**Josh, Figment Man:** EEP! (Runs away) Read and Review!


	2. Arguments,Feelings, and Ideas

**LefthandedFreak**: I do not own anything! Anything suck as movies, music, stories, shows, and other things that have been produced have not been produced by me. If I had, why would I be here?

**Josh, Figment Man**: You could just like Yugioh you dolt.

**LefthandedFreak:** True. Anyways, this chapter didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to but hopefully it'll be ok. I was planning on putting the idea for the 'building the child' thing to come in later but the excitement won't start until she exists. I totally rushed this. And now I feel so bloody nervous.

**Josh, Figment Man**: That's what happens when you get writers block.

**LefthandedFreak:** Get it away Get it away!

**Josh, Figment Man**: Lefthand, time for the reviews.

**LefthandedFreak**: Ok!

_Skellum_

AHHH! COME BACK WITH RYOU DOLL! (cries) Anyways, so glad you like it. Hopefully I'll see you around a lot more!

_DragonLady222_

Actually, I hadn't really planned for Yami to be sex obsessed. It just sort of happened. Thanks for liking this already! Whee! I just hope I don't mess it up with this chapter. Usually I don't post chapters I'm uncomfortable with and fix them till I do. So, hopefully I won't be killed mercilessly.

_RedEyesDarknessDragonLady_

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, I lost it a long time ago. Didn't you know? And how did you know I was gonna throw them in here? Shh, don't tell the others. Are you physic? Oh, did you want me to join your C2 sight though that would be kind of hard since it has to do with lots of sadness to Hikari's and Darks. Anyways, APRICOTS!

_Dagger_

Yeah for you! I'm so happy you like it so far. Hopefully I haven't messed up this chapter. I rushed this chapter and am not too happy with the results. I am happy that I got you to laugh! I laughed myself when I actually thought of it. I was wondering where it came from. Oh and thanks about the review thing, I thought it was a hoax myself but I wasn't too sure of myself.

I never am. I mean, just look at me! Freaky!

Don't become allergic to sex Yami might feint.

Thanks to all who reviewed. Sorry for misspelled words. Enjoy!

* * *

"De de de da da da do do, de da da do!" A strange chipmunk voice filled the air, echoing throughout the house, scaring many maids and butlers as they did things that only maids and butlers know how to do.

Joey, however, really didn't care what they thought. Lying on his bed, head hanging off the edge, he was attempting to get rid of this crappy feeling in his gut. Nothing, not even his favorite song was helping and it showed.

Yugi peered up from the book he was reading as he heard the music travel down the hall and to where he sat. "Oh dear, he's breaking out the hardcore stuff now." Sighing, he stood and placed his book back on the shelf with the others as Yami's head popped into the library.

"Joey's upset again isn't he?" Yami mumbled as if frightened, thinking to how happy Joey was only minutes before they returned and how he was downright depressed now.

"He has to be! He'splaying the 'Hamster Dance'!" Yugi indicated.

"It's going to be difficult to cheer him up." Yami noted as he peered down the hall at Joey's room, ducking into the Library as he did so.

"Yes but it can be accomplished." He remembered how difficult it was to drag Joey home since it was getting dark. He really had meant what he said earier.

"Do you think he-"

"No Yami. Sex is not the answer."

"Blast" Yami snapped his fingers in disappointment as Yugi pulled up his bag that he had with him.

"But I do think I can help!" With that, Yugi pulled movie after movie out of the satchel. Yami eyed the dvd's and then Yugi.

"Um… why are you carrying those again?" Yugi glanced up as he continued to pull out more movies.

"These are… chick flicks!" Yami seemed to gasp in shook. "Yes I know but it'll be the only way to pull his mind from children"

"That's… that's just cruel! Not even Seto can stand the power of the chick flick." Yami cried.

"Actually Yami, he can. You're the one who cries every time." Yugi smiled as he tossed one of the movies to Yami who caught it, reading the cover.

"No…not 'Sleepless in Seattle'!"

* * *

Joey closed his eyes as he listened to the silence that echoed through the house. He had turned of his music after the third replay of Weird Al's "Trash Day". Now he just wanted to sleep. But something just didn't feel right.

And not the feeling he had been having, the feeling that someone was plotting something.

SQUEAK!

Opening his eyes, he glanced around the room, spotting Yugi standing on the lose floorboard before his bed.

"Yugi, what are you- AHHHHHHHHHH!" Joey jumped in surprise as Yami pounced on him from behind, Yugi simply smiling down at the both of them.

"Ah, Jozeph Veeler", Yugi had managed a fantastic accent. " It iz time for de torture of a thousand excurating pointy obvects of DOOOMMMMM!" Ok, Joey was confused and a bit scared. He glance back at Yami to see if this had anything to do with sex but by the blank expression he was getting, that wasn't it.

Darn.

"Yugi, Yami, what are you two doing? And loose the fake accent Yugi, it's ruining your figure." Yugi pouted.

"Fine we won't mess with your feeble mind. You'll take away the fun when we destroy it." Joey raised a brow.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Yugi grinned as Yami buried his face into Joey shoulder, moaning. Slowly, ever so slowly, Yugi pulled out-

"NOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

"I can't believe you! You didn't tell them!" Aphrodite rubbed her temple as Jerald fluttered around, mad about something.

"I know, I know, I was suppose to but how exactly was I going to put it?" She moaned, burying her head in her hands.

"Well, you could have just said it!" Jerald growled causing Aphrodite to glare up at him.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that would have been REAL peachy."

"Well they would have wanted to know"

"Well what if I don't think they should?"

"They have a right to know what's happening! It's going to effect them you know!" Aphrodite jerked out of her seat, knocking the chair to the floor.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT JERALD!" The calculator floated in silence, watching as she buried her face into one of her hands. "I'm sorry Jerald. I didn't mean to yell."

"I know. I'm frustrated to. I guess they could go without knowing until really necessary." Jerald lowered himself to the table. "You promise to tell when the time comes though, right?" Aphrodite dropped her hand to the table, avoiding Jerald's face.

"Yeah, I will." Afterwards, they just sat there. The silence that followed was unbearable.

* * *

Kaiba stretched his sore muscles as he removed his self from his car he had driven home from work as he stifled a yawn. It had been one of those days. Slowly, he made his way up the front steps and through the front door. He hadn't expected complete silence.

Where were the others? Carefully setting his briefcase on the floor, he pulled off his trench coat and ambled up the stairway, keeping his eyes and ears open. Slowly, ever so slowly, a soft sound reached his ears, getting louder as he approached their room.

Crying? He pushed the door open gently. Yugi was smiling while Yami was balling into Joey's shoulder but keeping his eyes on the T.V., tears already on the brim of the blonde's own eyes.

"Uh, what are you guys-"

"Shhhhh!" Yami and Joey didn't even look at him. Yugi peeked up from a manga he was reading and waved at him.

'There watching Artificial Intelligence', he mouthed as he tried to hold a giggle back as tear slid down Joey's cheek. Indeed, Seto could see the young robot boy, apparently at the end of the movie by how many times he has seen it, hugging onto his sleeping mother and going to sleep as well to never awaken again.

Obviously, they had had too much time on their hands to pull out the chick flicks. That, or someone had been in a very sad mood before the movie. That's when Kaiba remembered his conversation with Fate. Glancing over, he took a peak at the c.d. player.

Yeap, The Hamster Dance had been played earlier that day. Was Joey really that down?

And yet, that wasn't the only idea fluttering through his mind. It was the movie. This robot child had come to love his mother and she, him. Tearing his eyes away, his sight landed on Yugi's comic. 'Chobits'.

It was like getting slapped in the face over and over again. Why not build them a robot child? It might just be a robot to some but to Joey at least, it would be something special. A child of his own, to raise with the ones he loved.

It was almost too perfect. That's when reality hit Seto in the face. Robots of artificial intelligence were around, yes, but where very low graded. They hardly resembled humans much less acted like them. But he couldn't get rid of the idea. He just had to find a way.

"Popcorn Seto?" Yugi offered as another movie was slipped in and Yami and Joey tried to regain their composure.

"No thanks. I have to go and… work on something real quick. I'll be right back". Quickly, he shuffled down the hall and into an empty room, sitting at a desk and turning on his laptop.

Several hours were filled with countless calculations and possibilities, mathematical equations and physics. Finally, at around 2a.m., and the second round of "Will you come to bed know Seto? It's late". He had finally mastered it.

It could be done. But it would take time, the right equipment, and a little assistance if he planned to finish this before school rolled around (It's at the end of May). But who could he get to help?

"Seto, please come to bed, Yugi's pocking me in the side!" Yami whined from the doorframe.

Seto smiled.

"Um, why are you looking at me like that? Seto? Did I do something wrong... in the bedroom?"

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** I actually did cry after watching Artificial Intelligence. It was so sad! I wasn't planning on mentioning it until I was trying to figure out what Seto, Yami, Yugi, and Joey's child would look like. It was a whole accident. Just wondering about robot stuff when bam, the movie hit me with full force!

**Josh, Figment Man:** I have to regrettably report that no, no sense was knocked into her.

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyways, what was the conversation between Aphrodite and Jerald? Well…. You have to read and find out. It'll take awhile. Sort of like, a mystery. WOOT!

**Josh, Figment Man:** I do not know her.

**LefthandedFreak: **You just live with me.

**Josh, Figment Man:** And how I hope I didn't.

**LefthandedFreak:** Read and Review!


	3. Dancing Doll

**LefthandedFreak:** I'm back again!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Alas, the pain can continue.

**LefthandedFreak:** Shush you. Anyways, I sort of added Angelic Layer to this, which I don't own, by accident. I wasn't going to but it popped up. Also, I NOTICED a mistake I made last chapter. There's a sentence that says:

"That's when Kaiba remembered his conversation with Fate."

When the line is supposed to be:

"That's when Kaiba remembered his conversation with Aphrodite."

I am so sorry about that. I'll have to fix that chapter won't I? Anyways, to the reviews.

_DragonLady222_

Doesn't everyone love the sex obsessed Yami? That was pretty much an accident really. He was just supposed to be a bit less serious and curios but he just became a fiend. (Sighs) Glad you love it! I love it too!

_Dagger_

You're not pathetic! I cried too! I cry a lot when watching movies! It's like someone turns on this magical tear fountain. I cry for the dumbest reasons in movies. Someone could trip and I'll start bawling…. Well, not exactly but that's a good enough example.

Yeah, I'm glad you don't think I'm rushing it! Woot! (Peers at Yami as he tackles Kaiba) And I'm sure Yami agrees! Everything can be made right with sex in his mind.

**Yami:** Woot!

_RedEyesDarknessDragonLady_

**LefthandedFreak:** I joined your C2 group though I have no idea what there exactly for. (Sweat drops) yeah I'm stupid sue me…. When I'm rich. Oh, and I meant to answer that question last time. Yes, actually they will make an appearance but I won't tell you why and when so I don't spoil the surprise!

And Josh does hate them because Bakura killed Pegasus.

**Josh, Figment Man:** Must kill!

**LefthandedFreak: **He acts like it's a crime. Of course, after I read about Pegasus in the comic, which explains him a lot more, I feel really sad for him. It's like he'll be forever chasing the image of his lover. (Cries)

I cry too easily!

_HellsEternalFlame_

I'm an IDOL! Really! Take that Simon. (Glances around) Hehehe… sorry. I'm totally feeling the love!

Thankies! Now, as written, the next chapter as it is! Ignore mistakes.

* * *

Kaiba smiled, or what could be called a smile with those bags under his eyes, as he sipped his coffee at the breakfast table. Two days ago he had provoked Yami, which didn't take long, to help with the construction of a, what he had said, was a new project for Kaiba Corp. Though Yami had shown some confusion as to why the other two weren't to know about it, he had bit his lip and agreed to stay silent about it.

So Kaiba ordered the parts that where needed for the project at hand and once they had arrived the day after, he had spent all night putting together a mini module. He still wasn't completely finished with it, still needing to actually connect all the wires together and then putting on the outer shell and seeing if it worked, but he had done quite a bit.

I mean he's falling asleep while drinking coffee, give the guy a break! Yami as well was having a hard time staying awake, helping make sure all the parts had arrived, running off to retrieve the ones that only Kaiba Corp had, and helping wire the smallest damn computer he had ever seen. He was having a hard time holding onto his spoon because of that.

Joey was too busy staring down at his now soggy cereal, thinking by the looks of it, and swirling the mushy flakes around. Yugi seemed to be the only one truly awake and it bothered him. "Where were you two last night? You didn't come in till about two hours ago. What's up?" Kaiba shifted his glance from his visions of sleep.

"Oh, had some trouble at work yesterday. I needed Yami to help out." He really wasn't paying attention.

"Oh? Why didn't you get Joey and me? We could have helped." Kaiba shook his head.

"No. By the time I got around to calling you I figured that we could handle it. Maybe next time however." Yugi shrugged knowing that the conversation was over. Kaiba glanced at his watch before regrettably getting up. "I've got to go. Work to do and everything."

Yami nodded and rolled out of his chair as well, trying hard not to fall over from the lack of sleep. "Ya, work to do…" Yugi raised an eyebrow as Yami followed Kaiba out, both yawning as they headed out.

"Why did Yami just leave with Kaiba if everything that needed fixing was fixed?" Yugi asked glancing over to Joey's seat. He wasn't there, probably snuck away to listen to bad music, as Yugi eyed the uneaten food. Looked like a lonely day for our little Yugi.

* * *

Kaiba bent over the inside of the small doll he was working on, entwining a few wires together as he connected them to some sort of mini hub. Yami, meanwhile, was rummaging through a box on the side of the room looking for more parts that might be needed. Both were working without a word to the other, completely immersed in what they where doing.

"There", Kaiba mumbled snapping a plastic head to the doll in his hands, Yami glancing up at this and eyeing the toy. First Joey now Kaiba, Yami seriously had to watch who he ended up with next time, they might be toy obsessed.

"So… what exactly does it do?" Kaiba sighed as he pulled a headset up from the floor. "It's supposed to move under my suggestions, do as I say sort of thing. This will see if a robot can actually be as agile as a human. It doesn't have a self teaching program and will shut off when ignored long enough, but it's too small to actually place a system like that into."

"Why not?" Yami curiously peered up from some book about robotics.

"It'll explode" Kaiba stated as he placed the head set carefully on his head, adjusting a dial and setting the toy on the floor. They both leaned over the little doll, it's white frame sitting in silence.

"Stand up" Yami jumped as Kaiba spoke into the mic part of the headset. Kaiba was to busy staring at the doll to really care if he had spooked Yami at the moment.

The doll didn't move. "Move". The doll sat there. "STAND UP!" Nothing.

Kaiba cursed loudly as he tossed the headset to the floor, knocking the doll onto it's back. "It's not working. Why isn't it working!" Pulling his body from the floor, Kaiba muttered as he flopped into his desk and started working on his calculations.

Yami, meanwhile, stared at the disregarded doll. Slowly, he pulled it up and studied it, turning it gently in his hands. He seemed so life like if it only had a face and not so many notches so it could move. He frowned as he noticed a lose wire at the top of the head. Shrugging he shoved the wire into the slot completely and turned around, picking up the headset and, kiddingly, placed it on his head.

"Stand up! Sit down! Twirl around! Jump back up! Dance!" Unbeknownst to Yami but known to us, the little doll, which Yami had his back to, had pushed itself up and was doing every little order Yami had given, no matter how weird they where.

"I said wave your hands in the air! Wave them in the air! Oh, how low can you go? Can you go down low? Touch your hands to the floor!" Kaiba growled, trying so hard not to hurt Yami.

"Yami will you please…" he froze. The doll was moving. Not only was it moving it was participating in what appeared to be a mixture of the chicken dance and the Macarena. And Yami, poor guy, hadn't noticed at all. He was just singing, sometimes yelling, into the mic, amazingly throwing a command into every sentence.

"Give me that!" He snatched the mic off of Yami's head, gently pushing the other to the side before he peered down at the doll. "Back flip". The doll froze in the middle of shaking it's but and flipped back, landing gracefully in the middle of the table. A smiled creased his worn features. It had worked he had done it! Nothing could go wrong!

"Great it works! Let's Party!" Kaiba toppled over as Yami pulled him to the floor to 'celebrate'.

* * *

Water sounded through out the greenery as flowers bloomed in the clouded sky. No sounds of life could be heard as a tall fig tree sat by a stream. The branches of the trees waved in the breeze. Someone was there; he could see her, tied to the tree.

"H…." The person seemed to try to speak and curios as he was, he slowly approached. The trees branches stiffened in warning at the intruder but he continued forward. A young girl with brown hair hung from the tree but instead of being tied to it, she was entwined within the wooden husk itself.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Help me…"

* * *

Kaiba jerked awake. Peering around, he quickly grasped his surroundings. Yami slept soundly next to him, the doll lay on the table in a crumpled position, it's pure white face giving an eerie light to the place. No water, no field, no tree.

No Fate.

He shook his head. It may have only been a dream but it had felt so real, so life like. Was that really Fate? If so, why was she in that tree?

And why did she need help?

Pulling his body up again, and pulling a few other things up, he straightened his self up and pulled the doll over. He grabbed a couple of weird foamy stuff and started to mold it around the doll. It was all just a dream and nothing but.

He was just really starting to miss her and coffee.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** Hopefully, you all went "What the?" Mwhahahhahahahaaha!

**Josh, Figment Man:** She was born this way but don't worry, the doctors made sure to slap her parents.

**LefthandedFreak:** (sticks out tongue) Meanie! I'll send 'Kura after you!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Great! I can test out my new chainsaw! (Runs off)

**LefthandedFreak:** I got to go make sure he doesn't do something, blame it on me, and move away to Tahiti. Till next time!

Read and Review!


	4. Conversation with Aphrodite

**LefthandedFreak:** Ha, thought you could get rid of me didn't you? Well, lookie here! I'm here and I'm staying! Woot!

**Kaiba**: What the hell is she on about now?

**Josh, Figment Man:** No idea. Now, unless one of her reviewers tried to destroy her than she's just being stupid.

**LefthandedFreak:** I hate you both.

**Kaiba and Josh: **We know.

**LefthandedFreak: **To the reviews!

_Dagger_

(gasps!) You haven't read Angelic Layer! You get to see Chi's creator in it! He's so awesome! I actually started reading Angelic Layer before Chobits. I totally cried when I found out he died. He was the greatest! But, I can't lie; I've only read the first one. I haven't been able to get the other four. But this Christmas and my Birthday I'm totally making a list of all my favorite comics and Anime shows that I want!

Woot!

That'll or I'll just steal Kaiba's wallet!

**Kaiba:** If you want to lose your arms.

**LefthandedFreak:** (giggles) He's such a kidder. And yes, Yami's floor celebration does consist of sex. He's told me that it works better with multiple partners though.

**Kaiba:** O.o

**LefthandedFreak:** What! And I love that you love my work! Woot! You shall have a happy and long life. Not too mention a long reply! .

_RedEyesDarknessDragonLady_

Dude, I'll totally join you in taking over the world! It's been my life long dream. Ever since I was little!

**Josh, Figment Man**: (sighs) Here we go again.

_Flashback_

**Little LefthandedFreak:** Mommy, Daddy, why did the doctors smack you when I was born?

**Lefthand's mother, which shall remain anonymous:** Because honey, no one likes freaks. Especially left-handed one's.

**Lefthand's father, which shall also be unknown:** Don't worry about it honey. Besides, you have the rest of your miserable life dealing with psychotic Figment Men and Fictional characters while the rest of the world laughs at your back.

**Little LefthandedFreak:** …. Can I cry now?

_End Flashback_

**LefthandedFreak: **They shall all pay!

**Josh, Figment Man:** you don't think her father was talking about us do you?

**Kaiba: **That would make him stupid and physic.

**Josh, Figment Man:** Look at whom we're dealing with. (Lefthand is in the middle of setting her foot on fire)

**Kaiba:** Good point.

**LefthandedFreak: **OWWW! I'M IN PAIN! (Puts out fire) Yes, Yami is oblivious! That's what makes him cute!

_DragonLady222_

Yami doesn't seem to be someone with the talent to sing does he? I'd always though it would be funny if he, when he did sing, he'd have this awesome voice. Woot! And he's just oblivious to the things he does. That's what you get when your looking in the other direction.

Yes, Yugi, so sad, and Joey, depressed. I really need to get them some happy pills. And we must congratulate Yami for keeping his self-control until he was finished with his job first.

Good job Yami!

**Yami: **Oh, do I get a 'treat'?

**LefthandedFreak:** (sighs) Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, will work on it next time. It really didn't come out the way I wanted but I'm too tired to deal with it. Toss away your idealism of looking for mistakes because you will find them.

I only wish I was a robot. Oh, there's also a joke I took from a T.V. show cause I thought it was hilarious when I heard it so I threw it in here. So the joke having to do with sleeping and sex isn't really mine. Darn it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Joey's eyes wandered across the table, glancing at the other occupants. Yugi was reading a book instead of trying to converse, Yami had dropped his spoon several times without notice until he dipped his hand in his soup, and Kaiba hadn't even bothered with self image and had just slumped over on the table, head buried between his arms as he snoozed.

All the while, Joey chewed on a leaf from his salad. Something was up and it wasn't just him. Or was it? Maybe his behavior over the last few weeks was starting to affect the others. He couldn't remember the last time he had said good morning or, come to think of it, Yami pounced on him while he was in the shower.

It was like everything that made the relationship a relationship had come to a stand still. Kaiba was spending so much time at the office that sometimes he didn't come home over a period of days, and when he did get back, he'd take a shower, change his clothes, and then head back out again. Yami was just as beat down looking. He at least came at home at night but other than that, he was always gone at some new mystery job of his.

Yugi, all the while, had fallen silent after two weeks of trying to start a conversation. He got so bent, he buried his nose in a book every time the others where near him. Joey was starting to go nuts from all the silence.

"So…" Yugi, Yami, and Kaiba all looked at him, as if in shook that he had spoken. "What have guys been up to?" Kaiba shrugged and buried his head again, Yami mumbled something incoherent, but Yugi smiled.

"I've been reading. You know, we have this really good book about the afterlife in the Library. You should check it out sometime" Joey nodded.

"Oh.." Silence.

"I've been working on a new project. It'll take at least another three weeks to finish but it should be complete by then." Kaiba's muffled voice croaked from behind his arms.

"What is it you're working on?" Yugi questioned, closing his book.

"Oh, nothing too important yet," Yami glared, "But it should be worthwhile when it's finished."

"New holographic technology?" Joey had scarffed down his salad.

"Something like that."

"What about you Yami, what have you been doing?" Yami nearly threw his spoon. After throwing his glare, he had lost all mental ability to stay awake and was about to slam his face into his own salad, which he had switched the soup out for, thinking he could manage a fork better, before being addressed.

"Oh, um, just working on some… stuff. Nothing too important". Yami muttered as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Well, I think you two should give it a rest for awhile. I mean, look at you". Yami's head was buried deep into the greenery of his plate while Joey threw a glass of water on his head, Kaiba managing to peak a glance. Yugi had a point.

"Can't. I've got to finish this." Kaiba moaned as he stifled a yawn.

"Well, whatever it is, it can wait. You two are going to stay home tomorrow and do nothing but sleep." He glanced at Yami. "Or anything that some might feel that we need to catch up on."

Yami was too exhausted to catch the hint.

* * *

Aphrodite chuckled as Yugi sipped a bit of his tea. "So, after they slept for about ten hours, I let them either catch up on sleep or sex"

"And what did you all catch up on?" Aphrodite had stopped by, a week later to talk, try to cheer Joey up and talk to Yugi visit. Yugi was quickly catching her up over the events of the past week.

"Well, Kaiba, Joey, and I decided to catch up on sleep. Yami decided on sex." Aphrodite raised a brow as Yugi shrugged. "Hey, as long he doesn't wake me up I don't care". She shook her head.

"Well, we've still been working on the translating bit, but other than that, same old, same old. No ones been found suitable enough for Hades and where still having the "It's jinxed" thing with Fate's position." She sighed and leaned back. "It's just not the same without those two around."

Yugi took another swig of tea. "Tell me, why did they hate each other so much?" Aphrodite glanced at him.

"Well, Hades really didn't hate Fate he just liked to annoy her. He actually loved her quite a bit but since Persephone started to show, what he though, were tiny signs of jealousy, he became distant. She moved out of his place, since he was the one caring for her, and I let her settle into the room next to mine." She sighed.

"And memories are never good when tampered with. Fate's was manipulated by Hades to make him appear to her as a stranger. Instead, he became a sort of rival. For what, I never knew, but it always seemed like they were in some sort of competition after that. I knew that deep down, Fate really cared for Hades, but without any emotions or memories to back it, she just assumed she had never like him."

Yugi stared down at his tea. He hopped that whoever took Fate's position wouldn't have to go through the same things. "Aphrodite, when Fate died, were did her soul go?"

Aphrodite didn't move, she had hid her eyes under a veil of hair. "Into the Last Haven. Higher beings, except for the big man, our never allowed past the doors until after death. Many who go there are either reborn or just live the rest of there existence there. A soul is cannot be harmed or destroyed unless it is on the other side of the Haven. It's a for sure way that we never see each other, to know what we're missing or to know about something we shouldn't know about yet."

Yugi glanced up at Aphrodite. "There's a way she could be reborn?"

Aphrodite nodded. "Many who are reborn return to earth, hardly any are born again as higher beings, and never remember those from their previous life. You could run into someone you knew, as a kid, looks just like they used to, and they'd deny ever meeting you. It's just how we make sure no one really knows what to expect in the after life." She stood.

"Well, I need to get going Yugi but if any thing exciting happens, just scream, or say my name, I'll hear you. Ta ta!" She waved as she disappeared.

Yugi smiled down at his cup, nearly busting his head into when a figure lunged on top of him.

"Yami?"

"Shh, The others are asleep and I still haven't 'caught up' all the way."

"Yaaammmiii…"

"Hey, it's only really fun when you're awake. Now let's get started!"

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** Ah, I know that a joke can only last so long. After awhile, the sex obsessed Yami will burn out. I just threw it up there because I felt like I needed more take up room. This chapter was originally something else but I got aggravated with the original idea and tossed it.

**Josh, Figment Man**: She does that a lot.

**LefthandedFreak:** So this is just off the top of my head. So, I just talked about Fate. I wasn't really going to, and I think I just annoyed people, but next time should be the finishing of the daughter project! Because I'm too lazy to write the in between parts.

**Josh, Figment Man:** She's always lazy.

**LefthandedFreak:** Yes I am. Then again, I'm also getting attracted to a friend that I shouldn't be! Grr! Fate, get down here and fix this!

**Josh, Figment Man:** You killed her off remember?

**LefthandedFreak:** Right. I need to get that position filled. Anyways it's time for the name the daughter game! That's right, I'm going to let you guys suggest names and whichever one I like, or coincidently gets picked twice, will become the name. Now remember, your names will also be pitched against the name I've chosen so have fun!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Read and Review.


	5. Little Surprise!

**LefthandedFreak:** I was going to reveal the name of the little girl this chapter but then I chocked and thought 'What if they hate it?' You'd think this wouldn't take much thought.

**Josh, Figment Man:** With you, even the littlest task is a big problem.

**LefthandedFreak:** I don't see you learning how to drive, taking the GQE for the second time, the English part that I shouldn't need to take for the simple fact that I already passed that portion, beating up a locker to open it, and running on low energy!

**Josh, Figment Man:** No but I am watching that new Yugioh DVD you bought. Uncut version I might add.

**LefthandedFreak:** (hisses) evil!

**Josh, Figment Man: **I know I am.

**LefthandedFreak:** To the reviews… which won't take long!

_DragonLady222_

Thanks for taking your time to think! I'd really like a special name. There's actually two I'm thinking of simply because I love the names. I've created characters for them both and would really understand how the character should react. Of course, since the characteristics that I've applied to the name really don't fit I want to see about something else before I try my own choices. Can't wait till next time!

That's it for reviews!

Ignore mistakes! The world doesn't revolve around a spelling error! Enjoy!

* * *

Joey sighed heavily as he tried to pry the bandana away from his eyes to no avail. He had just decided to sleep in that morning, rolling over and snuggling deep within the soft cloud like sheets, when Yami rolled in and rushed him out. He barely had anytime to dress before the bandana covered his eyes and prevented him from seeing anything.

He was later shoved into the limo, another figure that he later made out to be Yugi, sitting beside him.

"So, any idea on what's going on?" Yugi's voice danced into the darkened vehicle, finding the irritated blonde with ease.

"No but when I find out what's going on, Yami is in a world of hurt." He grumbled trying to cross his tied arms.

"Maybe it wasn't Yami. Maybe he was possessed!"

"Had to have been him"

"Why?"

"He found a very convenient way of touching me as he tied me up." Joey growled.

"Oh" Yugi tried to twiddle his thumbs but it was worthless. So he whistled instead.

" So, wanna do something?"

"Why not. Not like I'm doing anything else at the moment." Yugi shuffled a bit in his seat.

"Alright, um. Let's play… well… hmm, how we gonna do this?" Joey pondered.

"Well, we can't play I spy"

"Or Rock, Paper Scissors."

"No Punch Buggy"

"Um, I know! How about hide and seek!" Joey chuckled.

"Very perceptive but no. How about 'Read My Mind'?" Yugi suggested.

"Yeah, I guess that'll work until we get to wherever we're going. When I see Yami he is so gonna get it"

Now, just where is Yami you may ask?

Well I'm going to show you.

* * *

Yami wiggled nervously in the front seat of the limo. After shoving Yugi and Joey in the back, he had to make sure they proceeded to Kaiba-Corp without interruptions. He also had to make sure that no one thought he was kidnapping them and called the police. Kaiba had sent him out to do this, saying he had to finish putting something together and would be ready to meet him at the doors when he got back.

Yami was curios as to what Kaiba had done with his project. He hadn't been allowed into the room about a week ago and was only permitted to retrieve and deliver items. Kaiba had also refused to remove himself from the room at all for the past few days and had slept in that morning on accident.

He didn't seem to upset by that and had immediately jumped into gear, heading out the door and to work, snagging Yami at the breakfast table as he went. Joey had started talking a bit more, especially since Yugi was mostly alone since Kaiba had started this project, dragging Yami along for the ride. Joey was probably finally excepting the fact that sometimes you couldn't always get what you wanted.

And that's when Kaiba announced that the completion of his project would be today and he wanted Yugi and Joey there to witness it's unveiling. That's when he decided that Yami would be the perfect person to do the fetching.

Which didn't make Yami feel too great. He could hear the threats drifting from the backseat to his ears as the driver shifted an uneasy eye at him, causing Yami to immediately look away.

It seemed to take forever to arrive at the tall structure overlooking most of the area, Kaiba smiling wearily from the door. Yami removed his self from the car and traveled along the metallic body to the door, prying it open with a flick of the wrist.

"Where are we?" Joey's voice greeted the bright sunlight cascading onto his blonde hair. Kaiba approached and helped Joey out as Yami reached in and grabbed Yami. "Um, hello? I would like to know what's going on here!"

"Shh. It's a surprise." Kaiba whispered as he gently lead Joey through the doors, holding them open for Yami and Yugi.

"Kaiba? You're involved in this too? If this is some sort of joke or something.."

"It's not"

"… Our anniversary isn't until-"

"Not that either."

"Oh". Joey was stumped. Why was Kaiba taking them to some unknown place just to show them a surprise? It wasn't like Kaiba to just surprise people. He was an up front type of person. He remembered discussing a party for him once like that. He had obviously overheard and left a note about how much he would torture Joey if he threw such an event.

He definitely wasn't a roller coaster rider. He stepped onto the elevator, a bit nervous about what was happening, as the others joined him. A slight moment before he heard a light ring and felt his stomach jerk and they were off. He never liked fast moving elevators. They made him feel sick.

"So, what is this surprise of yours?" Yugi chirped out, trying to loosen the tight ropes that weren't tight enough to cut into his wrists but just enough to annoy.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise. Besides, I really don't know what it is myself. Kaiba kicked me out about a week ago." Yami shrugged as he helped Yugi out a bit, making sure he didn't pull his hands free.

"So this is the sudden job you decided to take for fun. Well, at least that explains why you've both been out extremely late." Yugi tapped his foot impatiently.

Another ding sounded and they soon unloaded themselves into yet another hallway, Kaiba helping Joey along since he wasn't capable of traveling on his free will. They stopped before a secure door and waited as Kaiba did the normal procedures to enter before the door slid open. Yami complained about it being too dark as he removed Yugi's bines and blindfold, Kaiba doing the same for Joey.

Joey noticed that Yami was right. It was dark. It was like he was still wearing the blindfold. He rubbed his wrist as he noticed Kaiba slip away.

"Kaiba, we're you going? What's this surprise of yours?"

A small lamp flicked on, illuminating Kaiba's dark features as he crossed his legs at a desk across from the others. Joey started to approach but the brunette stopped him.

"Don't move. I don't want you to accidentally damage the present now." He grabbed a stack of papers, shuffling through them as he read.

"Kaiba, why are we here?" The brunette glanced at Yugi.

"I had a conversation with Aphrodite a couple of weeks ago. She told me something quite interesting about Fate's last request and of course, knowing how I am, she set me to work if you would call it that."

"But Aphrodite said she was translating Fate's request? Why would she lie?" Kaiba stopped shuffling and gazed at Joey.

"Because the request itself required time to solve. Something that Aphrodite knew that I could do under the circumstances. She informed as to why you've been depressed." Joey bit his lip. "It did strike me as a bit odd that that's what you wanted, especially at our age, but if that's what would make you happy, you could have told me."

"Wait. Kaiba, what did you do? Did you adopt a kid?" Joey questioned. Yami shook his head.

"I don't see when he would have. He's only been in two places for the last few weeks. Here and Home."

Kaiba smiled and nodded. "He's right. I haven't had the time to adopt. But I did something better." Joey raised a brow as Yugi and Yami exchanged a look. Kaiba smiled and flipped on the light switch.

A bright light blinded the three as they shielded their eyes, computers turning on and starting to run. Joey slowly pulled his hands away and gasped at what he saw.

A young girl, around Mokuba's age (cause he's adorable), lay on the floor, her long hair, which consisted of a nice mixture of red, black, brown, and blonde, laid across her body, wires protruding from different angles of her body.

"Kaiba, what did you do to her! Did you decide to play extreme doctor or something!" Yugi stared in disbelief at the pale, little girl. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"I didn't hurt her. I created her." That just made the looks ten times worse.

"You made her? But… but why?" Joey mumbled as he stared at what he now knew was a robot. It reminded him too much of A.I.

"Because I wanted to give you the one thing you wanted" Kaiba smiled as he hugged Joey. "Consider it an "I'm sorry for not being home enough" gift."

"But, how does she eat? How does she function?"

"Like any normal child. She holds a fine curiosity with things she doesn't understand. She'll react to a certain situation the same way a human child would. Sensors in her skin will inform her if she's being held to tightly or lovingly. I even found a way for her to eat. A long tub from her throat stores the food in a container in her stomach. It'll heat up like an oven and destroy the particles, turning it into ash which will slowly leave the body a little at a time." Joey bent down as he listened.

He reached out and touched the girls face. She felt just like a real human being. She looked just like a real human being. But she was theirs. Someone for them to love and to raise together.

"Does she know about emotions?" Kaiba smiled at Yugi's question.

"She has a self learning program. She'll watch how we react to situations and store it as data, relying on it to prepare her with the proper functions when something arises. She can cry, or become sad but she can't shed tears. I couldn't work out the jinxes with that. But she can get wet. She's water resistant."

"She's adorable!" Yugi squeaked as he bent down next to Joey, studying the girl like a little china doll.

"How do you turn her on?" Joey said as he studied the girl, realizing she hadn't acknowledged their presence yet.

Kaiba smiled. "You have to name her. After that, she will activate. If she ever shuts down after that, she has another turn on switch in a different location which probably will never be used."

"Well, what should we name her?" Yami inquired from his standing position next to Kaiba. For the one time in that entire morning, there was silence.

This was going to take awhile.

**

* * *

**

**LefthandedFreak: **And so it shall.You know, amazingly, my hair is actually red, brown, black, and blonde naturally. Brown is my dominant color but you can still see the blonde and red in my hair every so often.People think my hair is black when inside however. Cool! But I wasn't trying to make her look like me, I was actually trying to combine their hair color. Neat all the same! I could be related!

**Kaiba:** O.o

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyways,I have a name that I'd like to use but I'd also like some ideas. So please, give me some names people!

**Josh, Figment Man:** She just ceases to amaze me.

**LefthandedFreak:** Shush! And now I must flee! (runs away) Read and Review!


	6. To the Mall!

**Josh, Figment Man:** I am sure you are all wondering where Lefthand went. Well, I shall tell you.

After extensive research, she discovered the cure for cancer and proceeded to Washington, to deliver the object of her findings there. On her trip she was kidnapped by rouge plushies, dragged to the layer of the Whatsits, found a cute white haired bishie, and ate Chinese.

And all in all, she forgot about the cure.

**LefthandedFreak:** Well, actually, I didn't find the cure for cancer but am working on it! However, when some idea hits you and it also collides with another idea, you end up with two conflicting story lines that are awesome and yet cause writers block.

But, I've finally fixed the problem and should not have to disappear anytime soon…. Hopefully.

To the Reviews!

_DragonLady222_

I also liked Tomiko but it seemed a little off for the characters first name so I gave her a middle name, though I think Japanese don't give middle names…. Not too sure on that.

It'll pop up every now and then; I'll make sure of that! Thanks for the suggestions.

_RedEyesDarknessDragonLady_

**Josh, Figment Man:** No! I will only lighten up if Pegasus beats up Bakura!

**LefthandedFreak**: (burst into laughter) like that'll ever happen! All right, lets go taking over the world! (Pulls out telescope from cereal box) We can see all sorts of Normie's using this!

**Josh, Figment Man**: Normie's?

**LefthandedFreak:** (pulls out the dictionary of strange people) Normie's. Short for Normal. People who base themselves on reality and logic. Those who oppress weird people. (Closes book)

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER!

* * *

Joey peered back at the others, who simply smiled or nodded their approval. Slowly, he turned back and gazed down at the little girl, seeming to sleep peacefully amongst the wires and her long, colorful hair. He smiled slowly. 

"Akira Tomiko… wake up". Nothing happened for a minute, Joey wondering if he hadn't spoken loud enough, before a small click was heard and green orbs slowly opened, peering up at Joey in confusion.

The young girl seemed to study him for a minute, gazing over the creases and lines of his face before her eyes locked with his as she smiled, pulling Joey into a light hug. "Daddy!"

Yugi smiled, as Joey seemed lost for a minute before hugging the little girl back, her voice light and caring.

"Yeah, it's me Akira." She pulled back, gazing back at the other three as she clung to Joey, her over large shirt, as she was dressed in something, slipping on her shoulders. "Uh, I think we need to get you something else to wear."

Akira peered down at her self before smiling. "It is kind of silly looking." Joey chuckled lightly as he stood, gazing back at Kaiba.

"Come on Seto. Let's get her out of this wired mess!" Kaiba knelt beside Joey, and with a few instructions to the blonde, helped remove the wires from Akira, who just stared at them as they did. As the last wire was removed, Joey peered over at Kaiba with a small smile.

"So, masterful creator, did you bother getting her any outfits?" Kaiba blinked.

For once in his life, Akira's shirt slipping down her arm, he forgot something.

* * *

"Daddy why is that lady looking at me like that?" Akira eyed the store clerk, who peered down at the girls strange attire. The four tried to pull something together, more relying on what Mokuba had left behind, until they got her some clothes that fit properly. 

Oh and feminine of course. Still, they had managed a perfect fumble as she stumbled in shoes two sizes too big and a shirt with a rubber band keeping the top up. The pants were an issue all together being the only pair Mokuba had left for the reason that it was torn andcovered in and filth.

So it was only natural that EVERYONE stared at her as Joey helped lead her through the mass of clothing racks and discount items, Kaiba glaring at all who seemed to disapprove though he couldn't argue too much.

"Oh, just ignore it. It's just a thing people do every now and then" Joey mumbled as they entered the little girl section.

"It's natural for people to just stare at each other?" Akira eyed a clerk who had pulled her attention from the clothes she was stacking, to the mess that the little girl was wearing.

"Um… why don't I just answer this another time?"

"Alright". Akira smiled as Yugi glanced at some odd outfits, a bit appalled.

"They have tub tops for this age group!" He gapped as he pulled out a thin strip, that was supposed to be a shirt, and a very short skirt along with it. "What's with society today?"

"Excuse me, may I help you?" The young clerk, who just dropped the rest of the clothes on the shelf when she saw Yugi pull out the tub top, but not hearing what he said, had come over and smiled at Akira, who carefully slipped behind Seto, peering out at the lady.

"Uh, yes, we were looking for some… sensible girl clothes." Yugi placed the garment back on the rack, seeming almost afraid of it.

"Do you by any chance know what size she wears?" The clerk doubted they did by the clothes she had on.

"No. You could find out however, correct?" Kaiba seemed to enjoy the fact that Akira was clinging to his leg for protection as the clerk nodded and wandered off for a tape measure. It wasn't long before she returned and bent down to knee level.

"Alright sweetie, I'm going to take your measurement so if you'd step over here." Akira didn't budge, just stared at the blonde haired woman as she tried to coax her out. Joey peered at down at the little girl.

"It's ok. She won't hurt you." Akira immediately smiled and stumbled away from her protection and to the lady, who quickly ran the tape across her and wandered off again, returning with a couple of little dresses and some casual clothes.

"There's a dressing room right over there". She pointed to the far corner, which was dosed in pink. "I'll be over here if you need me." Kaiba nodded as he took the clothes from the ladies arms and studied them. They at least were sensible.

"Alright Akira, lets go try these on." Joey took her hand and led her to the changing station, the others in tow.

* * *

Rows of wooden doors peered out at the four men and girl as they approached the brightly lit area. Akira peered down the hall and at the doors, seeming to observe every inch of the place as Yami picked out a changing room. 

"Alright Akira. There's a dressing room for you." She peered up at her sex-crazed father as he spoke, gazing at the clothes, and then at him.

"Yami… I never programmed her with that knowledge" Kaiba cut through the awkward moment like a knife.

Silence in sued for a mere minute as this was absorbed by the other three.

"You mean she doesn't know how to dress herself?" Yugi peered at Kaiba like he was nuts. Kaiba shrugged a bit.

"Well, it wasn't the first thing on my mind. Besides, she has a quick learning process and just a kid so no one would think differently about it."

"Well then who's going to dress her?" Yami didn't have to wait long for an answer as she quickly attached herself to his leg and peered up at him. "Oh no, I am not doing that!"

_Ten Minutes Later_

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Yami mumbled as he led Akira into a stall, clothes draped across one arm as he locked the door with the other. Kaiba had been the one to clothe her at the house and now it was his turn.

But he didn't want it to be his turn. He sighed heavily as he peered at the long sleeve dress in his hands, figuring that it at least reached the tip of her knees. Besides, who else was going to see her?

Akira stood patiently watching him as he removed the item from the hanger and gazing over at her.

"Go on, get undressed." She stared at him. "What… you don't know how to undress either?"

"No silly Tou-san. You should know that." Yami lowered his head in defeat as he tossed the rest of the clothes on the bench.

"This is not my day"

* * *

It took about thirty minutes before Akira emerged wearing the first outfit, Yugi resting on the ground as Joey leaned against a rack, Kaiba standing erect as always, as she approached. 

"How pretty!" Yugi cooed as he brushed a strand of her hair behind her shoulder, peering back at the other two for their approval.

"Well, it looks better than what she had on". Kaiba nodded.

"Come on Kaiba. You know it looks absolutely adorable on her." Joey smoothed down the hem of her dress as she studied what he was doing. "Alright Akira, I think this one will be fine. Go back and try something else on." Akira nodded as she turned and headed back to Yami.

"Daddy says we should try on more Tou-san" Yami's eye twitched as he closed the stall, managing to give Joey the universal sign without Akira noticing.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** Well, shopping was never my big thingy unless its for manga or anime. I'm pretty sure the Japanese word for dad or father is Tou. I'd love to knowif anyone can give me any other versions of father. I really don't like papa and father sounds too formal and I'm going to need a title for Kaiba and Yugi. 

**Josh, Figment Man:** You're a dork.

**LefthandedFreak: **As I have been told on several occasions. Next time we get to see Yami try and teach his daughter how to dress herself with…. Dun, dun, dun! A live demonstration.

**Josh, Figment Man:** O.o

**LefthandedFreak:** It's all for the sake of education. Read and Review, please!


	7. Undressing 101

**Josh Figment Man:** (digging in back yard) Guys… I…I think I found something!

**Yami**: What! Is it a plot!

**Josh, Figment Man: **No something bigger!

**Joey:** A good well-written story?

**Josh, Figment Man:** No even bigger! (Struggling to pull whatever it is out)

**Kaiba**: A way out of this fic?

**Josh, Figment Man:** Nope! It's- (pulls shovel out)….ah man it's just a poor, preoccupied author.

**The others**: Darn.

**LefthandedFreak:** (covered in dirt) Hey! (To reviewers)….uh….hehehe… I'm terrible I know. I was starting to work on it again, though it's been like a month, but the whole thing is…. the plot fell apart. So I needed something to incorporate all my great ideas into one.

And hey it took me about a month and a half to figure something out. Hopefully this won't turn into one of those 'Jeeze the first one was so much better' things though I'd have to say, Fate's Underhanded Tactics is better than this, although with a lot more written problems and errors.

PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

I also promise to write a lot more as possible. This chapter may not be extremely long but the next one will be.

**Josh, Figment Man**: Why isn't this one long again?

**LefthandedFreak:** ….because I'm tiwed…..(yawns) Enjoy!

* * *

Yami sat Akira down on the little stool they offered in the dressing room, stepping back with a slight cough.

"All right Akira," Yami scratched the back of his neck. "I'm going to teach you how to dress so be sure to pay attention ok?"

Akira smiled cheerfully "Ok Tou-san! I'll be sure to catch everything!"

"I'm sure of that" Yami mumbled as toed off his shoes.

"What did you say Tou-san?"

"Nothing. Now lets get started"

……

Yami never knew there could be such an awkward silence as he fiddled silently praying that maybe by chance a meteor would crash down at the exact spot he was occupying.

The big man wasn't listening and in fact, as Yami sighed and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, the higher being was probably laughing his ass off and handing out free tickets to watch the show unfold.

"Alright…so…uh…well let's start with the basics. First lets start with taking clothes off since I am already clothed as is."

Akira brightly smiled as she watched patiently. "Ok Tou-san!"

Yami mumbled, cursed in his head, wished that all higher beings choked on their popcorn, and slowly removed his shirt. A strange light flickered in her eyes as she observed the ripples and threads of the fabric bend beneath his fingers and move at his will.

Yami felt a little too exposed as he cleared his throat nervously, tossing his shirt to the ground. "Think…think you caught that?"

Akira immediately nodded in glee and, before Yami could even think of stopping her, ripped off her shirt in the same fashion. "Like this!"

Now as any sane person would now, stalls really need the locks that slip between the door and wall, making sure no one can push it open. But of course, these were the crappy magnetic doors and even the slightest push will cause it to give way.

And that is why Yami soon found him, not to mention his newly acquired daughter, both shirtless and staring into the eyes of a young woman, who had obviously slipped while carrying her herd of clothes and knocked into their door, sending it open and revealing to all the graphic display inside of the stall.

A pen could have dropped in the time it took for Yami's eyes to resemble that of a deer's, Akira blissfully smiling away.

"Hello!" Akira pleasantly waved causing the sudden silence to shatter and allowing the woman to realize she had a voice. But Yami didn't worry. Maybe the woman would listen to his reason, understand that his daughter did not know how to undress herself, and he was just demonstrating in a friendly, none evil and twisted way, of how to remove clothing and soon replace. Yeah, that's it, she would have to listen then!

" PERVERT!"

If Yami thought it was bad for one person to see Akira and him shirtless before, he would certainly die of a heart attack by the amount of people who just seemed to pop out of nowhere. But the one thing that was undeniably true.

Neither Kaiba nor Joey or Yugi was in this crowd of people.

And Yami was about to get the beating of his life….or afterlife as the case maybe.

* * *

And where were Joey, Yugi, and Kaiba at this moment you may wonder?

"Hey Seto! Do you think this would look good in her room?" Joey yelled at the brunette who was about to feet away, waving a very undeniably hideously pink dinosaur.

"Hmm…I don't know. Hand it here." Joey obliged and watched in fascination, or more of terror, as Kaiba tore the ugly and crazed doll apart piece by piece, barely making a fuss, in only ways that can be described as creepy and yet satisfying to the sane.

Handing back the torn and dismembered body Kaiba shook his head. "No…this one has a tear."

Joey was half torn to yell at Yugi to never show something cute, cuddly, or pink to Kaiba, but couldn't resist missing his chance as Yugi held up a small kitty cat doll.

"What do you think of this Seto?"

The demonic glare wasn't hard to miss as he stalked over.

* * *

Torture was the only way Yami could describe his trip to the malls main security office, clinging desperately to his own shirt as people bustled past, eyes still glued in wonder as to why he was so heavily guarded and bruised all over. A couple of feet back a woman held Akira's hand, who had needed a bit of coxing by Yami to even breathe the same air as the stiff and ungentle female associate, but nothing less clothed and shielded from the eyes of the mob like populace that occupied the area.

Heading behind closed doors and pulled shades, Yami was shoved into a corner room, Akira being led in the opposite direction by the lady who looked like she needed more Prozac in her life.

A gruff security guard sat in a chair as Yami was shoved into a seat across from him, eyes wandering across the small space around him as the man, who's nametag read Stephen listened to the details of what had taken place a few moments ago.

If Yami could be as descriptive as this man was putting him out to be, he would have won an Oscar…and then some.

As soon as the others had left, telling an assortment of little add ins here and there, and a few untruths that made Yami feel sick, the man leaned back eyeing our young hero….or pervert….or guilty until proven innocent person.

"So you thought it would be nice to sneak into a room and over power a little girl eh?"

"No sir. See she's my-"

"You people make me sick". Yami blinked as the man shook his head in disgust. "You nasty perverts who can't achieve someone would rather still a young youths innocence than wait because it'll please you."

"What! No see she's my-"

"And then you make up excuses instead of admitting your quilt. Tell me right now, do you think that that little girl will ever be mentally stable after being assaulted like this?"

"Well if she was assaulted no, but see she wasn't-"

"I'm just glad we caught you before it got uglier. A shirt is one thing. Pants are another."

Yami tried not to let his eye twitch as he yet again attempted to tell the man what the case was but again he would not listen.

"All I know is that lies will spill from your mouth if I let you talk. I'll have you know someone is calling the police right now to deal with you. I swear, if I were allowed, you wouldn't be sitting here with those dirty thoughts in your head, you'd be crying in a corner!" The man huffed as his eyes bulged at his own brutality, nearly sending Yami running in fear that they might pop out and knock him one.

"The little girl is telling our lead security officer about what you did, how you got there and the whereabouts of her parents. Hopefully we can put you away if she isn't too traumatized."

"Well that's all dandy and all but-"

"I'll return for you after I've tracked down her parents" Stephen stood, wrapping a coat around his round waist, although it wasn't a bit cold, and headed out.

Yami was trying to make sense of what had just happened.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** I'm too tired to fix any grammatical errors right now. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm not a grammatical wizard, just a novice.

**Josh, Figment Man:** Well….Yami's in a pickle.

**LefthandedFreak**: He certainly is! Next chapter be sure to look out for-!

**_Creepy letter blocks of doom!_**

_**Hide and go Seek!**_

_**How many times you can count the ceiling tiles!**_

_**And talking mirrors!**_

Wow gosh darn golly gee. Excitement for all!

**Josh, Figment Man**:….I can't leave you alone with a t.v. anymore.


	8. Burn you stupid store, burn!

**LefthandedFreak:** OMG!!! How long has it been?

**Kaiba**: Long enough for no one to care that your missing.

**LefthandedFreak**: I am soooooooo sorry!!! cries I actually thought I added two more chapter to this, but they seem to be missing… so I guess I'll just start it over.

**Kaiba:** Good idea.

**LefthandedFreak:** If anyone is still reading this, I'm so sorry it took me forever to get back to this. I've actually just went back to three stories I dropped and left because I'm lazy and in college.

**Kaiba:** Way to go.

**LefthandedFreak:** So as a special treat, I will write not one, but six chapters to make up for my loss!! I am so sorry!!!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Enjoy the madness people.

_**Note: For the record, Akira recognizes her parents as the following. Daddy- Joey , Tou-san- Yami , Mamma- Yugi, and Father- Kaiba**_

**Yugi:** Why am I the mother?!

**LefthandedFreak**: Honestly, cause I couldn't find a foreign name for father….

* * *

Akira's green eyes flickered over the chipped and peeling wallpaper of the playroom she was sitting in, quite alone. She didn't like being here alone without her parents, but knew that she was at least somewhere were they would be able to find her. She had remembered to look out for security symbols in case she ever did get separated from her parents and to just stay put in the office until she was picked up.

Trouble was she didn't remember anything in the whole security mess abut being dragged away and made to wait. Maybe it was because she was alone with her Tou-san and not with everyone else. Kicking her legs as she was lacked anything else to do, despite the box of toys across the room, she eyed the door wondering if she should ask someone if they had located the rest of her family and if she could see her Tou-san.

* * *

Kaiba was a bit quirked. After going through a couple of stuffed animals, most not to see the light of day ever again, Yami and Yugi had proceeded to drag him over to the bedding supplies, where he had to endure a painstakingly search through the vibrant rows of pink, purple, and yellow sheets and accessories before he finally settled on a pair of blue sheets with butterflies one them, a pink blanket, and pink comforter. At least it was better than the bunny attire that had been painfully burned int his eyes and memory bank to rest for all eternity.

Now that the search for everything from lamps, to paint for the walls, he was stuck with something else to search for.

"Where would Yami and Akira have gone?" Yugi was peering around the racks of clothes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the late pharaoh and their newly acquired daughter. Kaiba rubbed his temples in aggravation.

"Well apparently, he took it on himself to leave and look for us". Joey had stooped around the dressing rooms to n avail, hoping to see if maybe they pair had wandered to another dressing room.

Of course, three men, and no child, would attract a bit of attention if skulking around a children's dressing room, to which a very old and decrypted lady wobbled over, a name tag hanging from her shirt that read "Delores".

"Excuse me sirs, but May I help you with something?" her eyes shifted between Yugi's strange hair style, to Kaiba's menacing glare, and Joey's sheepish grin.

"Umm, yea. Our daughter was her awhile ago changing into clothes. She has long redish ,brownish, blondish, blackish hair and was wearing something to big for her. Hopefully, she will have put on something her size." The lady eyed Joey for a second, disbelief etched on her face.

"So you're the disgraceful parent, leaving a little girl unattended to in a dressing room". Delores pointed a menacing finger into Joey's face as he gave her an awkward glance. "You should be ashamed!"

"What are you talk-"

"Well, you're lucky to say the least. Someone found her right before things got ugly."

Kaiba and Yugi suddenly looked worried.

"What happened to her?" Kaiba's eyes bore into the women, and even though most people would cringe in fear, the old lady just sniffed before replying in a bit more of a respectable matter to Kaiba. Yea, he can do that.

Well she was being assaulted! Vagrants these days they-"

"WHAT?!" Kaiba was furious. Where had Yami been when this happened? They had only had the girl for a couple of hours and it already looked like it wasn't a good idea.

"Well don't worry she's fine. Security took her to their main office before it got real dirty. Shame really. And the guy kept trying to say she was his kid" Delores shook her head with a tut, "Despite the fact that he was shirtless".

Kaiba began to shack. With anger or with humor, it wasn't to clear, but Joey decided he best not leave Kaiba within the range of the old biddy less she ended up like one of the many dolls from earlier. Grabbing Kaiba's and Yugi's arms, Joey gently steered them away from the old women.

"How could they not listen to Yami?" Yugi had started up in anger as soon as they left the store, "or for that matter, why didn't they ask Akira who he was?"

"Well Yugi, I'm pretty sure if you walked into a dressing room to find a little girl and a man with his shirt off, you'd probably think something freaky was going down". Joey eyed Kaiba, hoping that maybe this logic has settled within the CEO's reasoning and maybe stopped him thinking of way to fire all the personal within the more than girly store.

It didn't seem to work.

Kaiba glared back at the store, as if hoping to cause it physical pain before he turned and started heading to the center of the mall. Joey grabbed Yugi, who hadn't given up his attempt to mow the store down with evil glare's, and ran to catch up with their brown haired lover.

"Hey, where are we going?" Yugi's eyes had swiveled back as he was jerked by Joey after Kaiba.

"To the main security office. Hopefully will get there to explain everything before the idiots send Yami to prison and put Akira into some dmn foster care." Joey eyed Kaiba carefully as Yugi squeaked behind.

"He wouldn't last two seconds!"

* * *

True to Yugi's words, Yami was finding it difficult to cope when other security guards had showed up to remark their disapproval that he even existed.

"Disgusting thing to do to a child"

"Horrible"

"How twisted could someone get."

"I hope the parents get here soon so they can give this man a peie f their minds!"

Oh how Yami hoped the others would get their soon! It was hell just sitting there and listening to everything from how worthless he was to the fact that he as a disgrace to society.

This stuff could really bring a guy down.

He also really wanted to see Akira and make that she was ok. It didn't look too good that on the very first day on having a daughter, she was taken away by some sort of child agency. Oh he hoped for salvation soon.

* * *

"Honey, we really need you to cooperate with us. I know that that man was trying to do something awful, but you need t show us exactly what."

"But he didn't do anything bad."

"He was trying to do bad things. Men like him do stuff like that to kids"

"He wouldn't hurt me. He's my Tou-san"

The social service lady sighed as she sat across from Akira, whose eyes had only stayed focused on her while they were talking. Otherwise, they had reconnected with the door as if she hoped she could leave real soon.

"Sometimes Tou-san's can be just as evil. Tell me, has he done this often to you at home"

"We haven't been home yet" Akira simply answered, but her eyes remained with the door, worry was staring to etch her features. Why was it taking so long?

"Oh my god, you mean he hasn't gotten you home yet to do it to you there?! You poor child" The social service lady patted Akira's head causing the green orbs to glance at her but not really look at her.

"My Tou-san wouldn't hurt me. I want my Tou-san!" The social services lady just shook her head at Akira's words.

"It's alright honey, mall security is trying to contact her mother."

"Good, he'll be able to sort this out"

The social service lady gave her a look. Did she just say 'him'?

* * *

How many people were there at this mall security and why did they all have to be here at once? Kaiba taped his foot impatiently as a number of people stood in line, either voicing a problem that had occurred to them in a store, or of a missing item. Fed up, angry, and wanting to get to his daughter and Yami, Kaiba finally hauled off and marched to the front of the line. Yugi and Joey were told to stay back in case things got ugly.

Slamming his fists on the counter, spooking the lady going on about a description of some sort of umbrella, Kaiba glared straight into the security officers face.

"My daughters gone missing and I have no time to stand in line! I was told that she was brought here and you better have her or so help you…" The security officer gulped in fear, a mingled bit of shook lingering, before he stumbled up.

"Just a minute sire I'll go see what I can find out." Kaiba glared as the man waddled off, drumming his fingers impatiently as he waited for the imbecile to return. After a few moments, accompanied by a few nervous glances from the missing umbrella lady, the security officer returned with the chief security officer, Stephen.

"Hello I'm Stephen, the main security officer. You wanted to report a-"

"I don't have time for pleasantries. My daughter seems to have been dragged away from her dressing room here, along with her father, and made to wait while her father is being accused of crimes which he didn't do!"

Stephen blinked trying to take this all in. Now that he actually studied the man, he recognized him from t.v. as the multi millionaire Seto Kaiba, and seemed to find himself a little less sure of himself.

"Uh… Sir, we found her accompanied by a minor trying to advance on-"

"I know what happened! Please, just send them both out." Stephen hesitated for a moment before he went in the back. A few moments later, the sight of Akira graced him, standing awkwardly beside an unkind woman.

"Father!!", Akira ran forward and hugged Kaiba around the waist, causing him to relax a bit. His eyes however, continued to bear down upon Stephan.

"And the other?" Stephen jumped at his words and hurried off, followed a little later by a bruised and battered looking Yami.

"What happened to you?!" Joey and Yugi had approached at the sight of Akira and were now eyeing Yami's state of appearance.

"I was treated less than kindly when they arrested me." Yami rubbed a particularly bothersome bruise above his right eye and Kaiba resumed glaring at Stephen.

"Why in god's name didn't you people ask who he was?" Kaiba bore down upon Stephen.

"Well, as you could understand sir, we found it sort of unbelievable-"

"I SHOULD HAVE YOU ALL FIRED!!"

"Father its ok." Kaiba glanced down at Akira who peered at him worried. "Please don't get angry."

Kaiba stared at her a moment before relaxing a bit.

"Alright… lets get home …" stooping down, Kaiba picked up Akira in his arms and didn't wait to the others had walked before he mouthed at Stephen 'FIRED'

* * *

**LefthandedFreak**: Oh Kaiba… the joys you bring…

**Kaiba:** I hate people, what can I say.

**LefthandedFreak:** But they just loveeee you!!! Anyway the other five will be added later today. Right now I'm packing!

**Josh, Figment Man:** Again?

**LefthandedFreak**: Yea…. I'm moving now. -- I hate moving. Any way's, sorry for taking forever!!!


	9. Curiousity

**LefthandedFreak:** Alright, So I lied about adding the other chapters yesterday.

**Kaiba:** Can anyone trust you anymore?

**LefthandedFreak**: (glares at Kaiba) However, I will try to add them all today and…. (Bobbles up and down on heels) TWO OF MY ORIGINAL READERS REVIEWED!!!!! (Squees)

**Kaiba**: You actually waited?

**LefthandedFreak:** Of course they did!!!

**dragonLady222**– Yea it has been awhile and I'm sorry for getting your hopes down (cries in shame) Hopefully no one was either…

Yami: THE PAIN!!!! IT BURNS!!!

**LefthandedFreak:** . …. Yea…..

**Arisa**** Akita**– Yea I am!!! hugs back I'm glad to be back too. Sorry if I let you down at all. I missed everyone soooo much so I just had to finish this… that and Bakura was threatening to take my bed away.

**Bakura:** ACID ROCKS!!! (dumps acid onto Josh's bed, causing it to melt)

**LefthandedFreak**: Riggghhhttt… I'm so glad you like it so much you have to read it twice!!

**Kaiba:** That or she hates it that much she's just trying to decide of its awful or burn your eyes out evil.

**LefthandedFreak:** (hits Kaiba with rubber mallet) Phooey!!

Anyways, sorry about all the misspelled words last time, I have Vista and for some odd reason it's just not as good as Windows XP. I'm actually thinking of writing them and complaining about it. Hopefully I can exchange this for a system I actually like.

* * *

The sun was up, reflecting the beautiful lush green land before them. Rolling hills, green trees, flowing streams, even cute and cuddly animals could be found at every turn.

That is if you were in the country.

Otherwise, Yami was cursing every available entity he could think of for making him endure so much pain. Akira was still clinging to Kaiba, peering over his shoulder at the rest of her family, smiling innocently as she watched Yugi trying to pull Yami's hand away from his bruise.

"Don't rub it, you'll just agitate it!" Yugi struggled to pull Yami's hand down to his side, which was progressively hard as he kept switching hands.

"It feels better when I rub it"

"I bet it does but this is one of the few things you shouldn't rub. Wait till we get home and we can properly medicate it."

"How do you medicate a bruise?" Yami yelled indignantly as both his arms were forced down by Yugi.

"Like this", Yami jumped in surprise as a pack of ice was applied to the side of his face by Joey, who had taken pity on Yami's pain, and Yugi's plight to hold Yami's arms down, and stopped by the nearest café' while the two had been bickering.

Yami looked slightly surprised by the ice, and the fact that it had been applied without him being aware had made him jump, but he took it from Joey's hand and held it close to the bruise none the less. "Thanks Joey", he looked at Yugi rather defeated, "Is this fine?"

"Its better than rubbing it", Yugi sided and went from grasping Yami's wrist to holding his hand. Akira stared at there hands for a moment before glancing over at Joey.

"Daddy?" Joey peeked a look up at Akira and smiled at her.

"Yes Akira?" A small hand stretched out from behind Kaiba's shoulder and reached out towards him.

"Could you hold my hand?" Joey stared at her hand for a moment before reaching forward and taking her fingers into his. He smiled as she laid her head down on Kaiba's shoulder, her small hand grasping his fingers gently. It felt nice to finally have there very own daughter. He also felt rather close to Kaiba.

Kaiba had obviously felt this too and stopped rather suddenly due to Joey's sudden position. He didn't mind being near him, he just hated people right behind him when walking. He felt like he was being followed.

Grasping Akira's sides gently, he tried to pull her off so she could continue the rest of the journey holding Joey's hand. Of course as little kids go, they can be fickle. Apparently, this went for robotic children as well.

"If you're going to hold Joey's hand, you need to let go Akira". Kaiba's voice was kind (AN: O.o) yet firm as he tried to pry the little girl off, who clung onto Kaiba without relent.

"I want you to hold me", Akira stated as she held on tight to her father. Kaiba glanced at her and sighed.

"I know but I don't like people walking dead straight behind me." Akira pulled back to look her father in the eyes.

"Is there something wrong about people being right behind you?"

"Yea he never USUALLY complains when someone's right BEHIND him", Yami laughed as Yugi buried his face in his hands. Akira looked at her Tou-san curiously

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Daddy?" Joey nudged Yami in the ribs, causing his laughter to stop with an 'ow'.

Rubbing his side, Yami looked up at Akira, smiling sheepishly, "No there's nothing wrong with Joey. I meant Seto doesn't usually mind us behind him when we're at home. Out in public, it makes him feel uncomfortable. Normally, people don't stand so close to others unless forced to, or being followed."

Akira's eyes lit up for a second as she listened to Yami speak, her eyes reconnecting with Joey before she reached over Kaiba's shoulder with both arms.

"Then you carry me Daddy, and I can hold Fathers hand" Joey smiled at how cute she looked, arms outstretched, Kaiba clearly affronted by the sudden change of weight. None the less, Kaiba bent his knees a bit so Joey could reach up and pull Akira over Kaiba's shoulders and into his arms.

She hugged Joey tight before wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. Akira reminded him of a little doll, the way she held onto him, and she was as cute as could be with her face buried into his shoulder. He startled slightly as he noticed Kaiba walk past him, not realizing what he was up to.

That was until he felt a sudden closeness to him and Akira's hands sneak out and reach behind Joey. Chancing a glance back, he saw Kaiba holding one of Akira's hands, a little agitated by being so close, and Yugi grasping the other. Yami decided to stride up beside Joey and grasp onto his shirt since Joey was preoccupied with holding Akira.

Joey smiled, the first real true smile he had for some weeks now, and continued on his way back home with his family.

* * *

"Who is she?"

"Did you adopt her?"

"Oh she's so cute!"

"What will Master Mokuba make of it?"

Coming home was a strange experience, most of the staff not expecting a child in the house for a couple of weeks, not to mention a new child, and had immediately started making there own decisions about the new arrival. However, they weren't allowed to sit and think about it for long before Kaiba sent half upstairs to help prepare the daughters room, and the others with befitting house duties. Akira seemed just as curious with the staff as they had showed with her appearance.

"Who are all these people Father?" she said, her feet finally planted on the ground, her arms wrapped around Yugi's waist, seeing as Joey decided to help Yami with the getting his cuts and bruises treated. Kaiba smiled down at her, watching as her bangs fell into her eyes.

"They work for me. They help make sure the house is clean and that I have a comfortable life. They're paid well enough after all so there's no need for them to complain." His comment made a few maids look a bit ruffled, but hey it's Seto Kaiba. He was made to be couth but mean.

"There's so many of them" she watched a couple of manservant's carrying a few paint buckets upstairs.

Yugi smiled down at her, "It may seem like it at first but you'll soon get used to them being here. They're all nice and very helpful" Akira smiled back at Yugi before letting him go and peering around at the main entrance hall.

"It seems funny" Yugi smiled as he watched Akira peering into a vase that sat on a pedestal. Kaiba glanced at him, also watching Akira's curiosity get the best of her.

"What does?"

"That we're back where Fate brought us together with our daughter now."

Kaiba stared at Yugi, a slight smile on his own face, as Akira left the vase alone and ran into the next room.

"Yea… I guess it is"

* * *

Joey was having a difficult time caring for Yami.

"Stop jerking away. How do you expect to get better if you keep pulling away?!" Again, Joey attempted and failed to rub some peroxide on Yami's cuts, due to the ex-pharaoh's constant twists and jerks of pain.

"That just makes it hurt more" Yami moaned as he blocked another one of Joey's attempts at treatment with a toothbrush as his only shield.

"Only for a bit!" Joey sighed as he tried to shield his face from the bristles of death, which were getting pretty close since Yami was swinging his arm around like crazy.

"That's too long for pain!!"

Joey ducked another wild aim of the toothbrush before slipping under Yami's arms and grasping his waist, causing Yami to jump in surprise. Before Yami could aim the toothbrush at Joey, the blonde had wrapped Yami into his arms and kissed him deeply.

It took a couple of minutes before Yami actually responded, a little dazed by the sudden change in the situation at hand, grasping Joey's shoulders and pulling him closer.

Joey's fingers slipped under Yami's shirt, a sweet purr passing from the Egyptians' lips, as the blonde's lips trailed down Yami's chin, licking and sucking the sweet ample skin of his neck, staying all to nicely on one of Yami's sensitive spots.

Yami moaned and grasped Joey's head, pulling him closer, toothbrush all but forgotten as it slipped to the floor with a clatter.

Followed by a searing pain in his face as Joey, the instant he heard the clatter, decided to apply the peroxide filled cotton ball to one of Yami's cuts.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

* * *

Akira was nothing but a jumble of questions and cuteness. Everything she didn't understand she wanted an answer for.

Why does that bounce?

Can you eat this?

Why was this made like this?

"What's this?", Akira's fingers pointed for what seemed like the fiftieth time at the piano in the parlor (AN: I like that) as Yugi walked beside her.

"That's a piano. It's a musical instrument."

"What's a musical instrument?" Yugi smiled as she peered up at him.

"Come here", taking her hand, he steered her closer to the piano before he sat down, picking her up and placing her on his lap. "Go ahead and press down on it"

Akira stared down at the keys before reaching forward and placing a finger on one of the slots of painted wood. Pushing lightly, she jumped when a slightly high pitch sound whispered from within the black body.

"What was that?" She turned expectantly in Yugi's arms, and eyed the piano in slight wonderment.

"That was a musical note. Watch." Reaching forward, Yugi drummed on a few of the keys. "Right now they sound like a jumble, but when you put them together, you can make pretty music." With her eyes on his hands, Yugi drummed out a small cord from 'Mary had a little lamb' on the piano. "See?"

"It's pretty!" Akira banged her fingers on the keys as Yugi laughed at her sudden change of heart. "Can I learn to play like you?"

"Well, yea if you wanted to know a few kid's tunes. But maybe you should ask Seto about lessons. He might teach you." Akira smiled and hugged Yugi tightly.

"I love you mommy" Yugi started for a second before smiling. She had called him mommy. It was so cute!

Wait a minute…

Mommy?!

* * *

Kaiba, in the meantime, was upstairs barking orders for the new room. Not wanting her room to be somewhere far, he had placed it next to Mokuba's room, a few doors down the hall from their(AN: the guys) room, and was now making sure it was in a state for Akira to live in. It used to be just a guest room, with nothing really special about it and really no purpose to it since he never had guests. With its pale paint and plan interior however, it wouldn't suffice as it was for a little girl's room.

"I want this room ready by nightfall. Painted, dressed to the nine's, and her clothes hung in her closet." He barked at a few maintenance men as they ran about, pulling in paint clothes, and removing the furniture from the inside.

"Move that furniture to the storage room upstairs."

"Don't drip any paint on the carpet."

"Do something light and nice, but not too girly"

"Put some new curtains up"

"Anything else, sir?" One of the maintenance men was making a list for the rest to follow as they bustled about to follow Kaiba's beck and call.

"Yea… unload the furniture I ordered when it arrives." Being obscenely rich, it didn't take long for the furniture store to understand that when Seto Kaiba wanted that furniture at his house in ten minutes, it should be delivered in five. Watching with a look of dominance as the maintenance crew started to work, some debating on what would be a good idea for the walls, he could only wonder what had happened to Joey and Yami.

* * *

They of course were a little too busy cleaning each other up.

After Joey's little attack, Yami thought it was a good idea to try and throw a well placed kick at Joey.

Which he missed, kicked the bottle of peroxide, sending it flying into to air like a coke bottle with mentos inside, the antiseptic landing all over him and Joey, to which Yami had screamed in pain from the sudden burn in his cuts and bruises, after which he decided to punch Joey to voice his opinion on how much it really had hurt him.

Joey, despite having been hit pretty forcefully, took pity on the more than soaked in medicine mess that was Yami, and started the shower, shoving the pharaoh under it before Yami could decide to try and punch him again.

Yami froze as the water caught him right in the face. Shaking his head, he stopped and finally got a grasp of his surroundings, realizing that Joey hadn't shoved him in retort to the punch, but to get him under some water to rinse off the extra medicine.

Staring out from the flowing shower, he watched Joey grab a couple of towels and start moping up the mess on the floor. Watching him for a bit, Yami reached forward and grabbed a towel of his own, stooping from with the shower and helping soak up the mess.

Joey glanced up from his work and eyed Yami, who apparently seemed a lot more mature now that he was helping.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping" Yami simply stated as he kept wiping up the same spot.

"You're soaked. You'll just spread the mess." Joey noted as Yami kept wiping up the water that was dripping from his hair.

"The same applies to you" Yami noted Joey's soaked appearance since he too had also been hit full on by peroxide.

The awkward silence was hard to miss.

"I'm sorry for hitting you". Joey watched Yami's hand stop trying to wipe up the water from the shower that was now slowly dripping to the floor from Yami's hair.

"It's ok. You were just surprised."

"You sure?" Yami eyed Joey worried.

Joey smiled. "Yea I'm sure."

Yami's mood instantly changed as he grabbed Joey and pulled him into the shower. "Now help me out of these wet clothes and show me how to properly 'clean' myself", Yami laughed devilishly.

Joey could only moan in defeat.

* * *

Yugi was a bit surprised. For someone who was certainly attached to her parents, Akira had wasted no time in loosing Yugi and heading out on her own. Now he was just trying to find her.

Asking a few maids, who pointed out different area's a girl might go, he started his search throughout the house. Besides, Kaiba might rethink this whole thing if after the mall incident; they lost their daughter in the house.

This wasn't too hard to imagine seeing how big the place was.

"Excuse me, mam'?" A maid with short blonde hair stopped and looked at Yugi, the blue butterfly sheets from earlier draped in her arms.

"Yes master Yugi?" He fidgeted, still not used to being addressed as such.

"Have you seen where the little girl went?"

"Last I saw she went into the kitchen."

"Thank you" Yugi nodded at her before hurrying off to the kitchens. Hopefully, Akira hadn't decided to play with the knives.

* * *

"Well you are precious. May I ask who you are?" Akira peeked over the island in the kitchen and eyed the food that was being prepared for dinner that night

"I'm Akira Tomiko Munouchiba" the maid smiled curiously at her.

"Munouchiba?" Akira nodded happily as she watched the maid chopping a tomato. "I've never heard of that last name."

"It's my parents last name's combined." The maid nodded a smile on her lips.

"So you're here to stay then I take it?"

"Yes mam'" The maid started at the address.

"And you're well mannered too. Well, I welcome you Akira Tomiko." The maid nodded at the little girl as she climbed onto a stool to watch the lady finish preparing a salad.

"Why do you work here?" Akira laid her chin into her hands as she watched the knife with interest.

"Because I have a job to finish" The maid replied simply as she started up on a bell pepper "And when I'm finished with this I'll move onto another job." The look on Akira's face told her she might not have been asking why she had been working on the food.

"Within this house of course, my dear. Why I work for your father, Mr. Kaiba I take it, is because I need the money to help pay for my living expenses. Things cost money you know, and nothing is out of reach without a little hard work"

"You seem nice. And you're pretty too." Akira smiled up at the maid as the lady smiled back down at the little girls comment.

"Thank you. You do too."

"What's your name?" The little girl watched as the maid turned and went to the sink, turning it on as she began to wash her hands.

"My name?... It's… Aira… "The maid didn't look back at Akira as she spoke.

"Aira what?"

"I'm just Aira… no need to know my last name dear." The maid reached over and grabbed an apple, rinsing it under the facet. Turning, she smiled at Akira and slid the apple over to the little girl's hands.

"Here you are dear, a small snack before dinner. Come to the kitchen anytime you wish to talk. I'll always be here"

Akira took the apple but stared at Aira curiously.

"Don't you go home?"

"Me?" The maid shook her head with a small chuckle. "I don't have a home yet.."

"Akira! There you are!" Akira turned as she saw Yugi approaching, his face etched with relief. "Why did you come in here?... oh but of course, you were hungry" Yugi noted the apple in his daughters hands. "I guess you can have that before dinner."

Akira smiled as she bit into the fruit, chewing happily as Yugi picked her up.

"Let's get out of here before the cook comes in and finds you snooping about."

"The cook doesn't mind. She was the one who gave me the apple." As if to make sure she was correct, she turned towards the island. 'You don't mind do you Miss Aira…… Aira?"

Yugi raised a brow as he looked at the counters. They were completely empty expect for a knife stuck in the cutting board and a freshly finished salad.

"She probably went off to do something else… come let's see how your room is coming along" He smiled at Akira as he placed her on his shoulders, leading her out of the kitchen.

Akira glanced back in time to see Aira waving goodbye to the little girl.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak**: Whoa I would have written more but I actually think I pulled a nerve or something in my neck. It hurts to move it even the slightest!

**Kaiba:** (grabs her head a turns it to the right) Like now?

**LefthandedFreak:** O.O (screams in pain) MEANY!!! (kicks Kaiba where no man likes to feel pain)

**Kaiba:** XO

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyway, I know the American version of Joey's name, its Joey duh, but I decided to use his Japanese name when giving Akira a last name so….

Munouchiba

**M****u**tou

Jo**nouchi**

Kai**ba**

Yami I made take on Yugi's last name because I wasn't sure if he had one. I don't think so.

**Bakura:** That actually sounds worse than just picking one of the four to name her after.

**LefthandedFreak:** Ne. It's all up to the fans! Should she have one of the guy's last names, or all the names combined?

**Josh, Figment Man:** Read and Review.


	10. Within the Looking Glass

**LefthandedFreak:** Wow everyone!! I'm super happy that at least two people are enjoying my story!

**Kaiba:** Instead of the usual zero?

**LefthandedFreak:** (pushes button, causing the floor to open right underneath…. The coach) Damnit! I knew I should have watched where that trap door was.

**Kaiba**: You're surprisingly lame

**LefthandedFreak:** At least I don't have a dragon fetish, twig boy.

**Kaiba:** What is it with you and my weight?

**Joey:** (runs in) Hey guys what's- AHHHHH!!!! (falls into whole)

**LefthandedFreak**:…. Oops…. Ummm… . . ….. on to the reviews!!

**Dragonlady222** – hmmm (suddenly thinks of Yugioh the Abridged series at the mention about the cook)

_**Flashback**_

**Joey**: It depends? Will there be food?

**Kaiba:** Oh they'll be food all right! So much food that you'll be stuffed.

**Joey:** was that supposed to be a threat?

**Kaiba:** I can't even remember anymore.

**_end flashback_**

**LefthandedFreak:** (cackles at the thought) I'm sorry I just keep thinking of that every time I read your comment. But all in all seriousness, yea I enjoy all four names together too, so its here to stay. Actually the cook isn't avoiding Yugi… but she does- mph!!

**Kaiba:** (covers her mouth) I'll stuff you if you tell.

**LefthandedFreak:** Awww …next comment!

**Arisa Akita** – You think I have literary awesomeness!!! (Squees in joy)

**Kaiba**: What are you blind? …. And possibly deaf?

**LefthandedFreak:** Yea I thought about Papa too but the only one I could really feel deserved it was Kaiba and father seemed too stiff for everyone else.

That and I don't like the word 'Papa' it irks me… but it did cross my mind.

I also added the bathroom scene last too, it wasn't in the original chapter, and I'm really glad I did. (Giggles) Yami and his sex drive.

**Yami:** Pretty good isn't it?

**LefthandedFreak:** hotness!!

**Bakura:** Try and catch me you pathetic mortal!!

**LefthandedFreak:** (pushes another trap button and sends story crashing on top of them, Joey miraculously on top of it.) OWWIE!!

**Joey:** Enjoy people!

_**Note: Due to the pain in my back, I might not write as much or explain things within great detail. I'm sorry; I just can't concentrate past the pain. I don't own anything, especially the Abridged Series.**_

**Kaiba:** You'd think she'd worry about the original.

**LefthandedFreak:** Enjoy!!

* * *

The house was louder than usual. Many of the servants were running up and down the stairs, carrying more material for Akira's room, as a few others ran about finishing the rest of the chores, trying to complete this task before dinner.

Kaiba was still gazing avidly into the old guestroom as he barked orders every now and then, just to make sure the idiots had understood. Joey and Yami stood next to him, having showed up a little while ago with a look that told Kaiba that they had done more than just fix Yami's cuts, and the two were a little more uneasy as they watched the transformation from bland, forgotten space to light and cutesy kids room.

Mostly, it was Kaiba's angry shouts that made them uneasy, not the fact that the servants were actually completing there task on time.

"What are you idiots doing with the bed?!" Kaiba bellowed as a couple of men, who were trying to angle the mattress a certain way, suddenly jumped about ten feet in the air.

Maybe eleven seeing as this is Kaiba we're talking about.

The auburn haired youth paid no attention to this and continued to rant. "Move the bed across from the balcony and put that mirror in between the balcony doors." The men nodded their obedience and quickly lifted the bed, moving it across the room as Kaiba glared down at them.

Yami noted it was a pretty nice looking room, Kaiba having obviously let up a bit on the 'no pink' rule and it could easily be identified as a child's room.

The walls were casted in shimmering colors of pink, yellow, and purple fading into each other to make a sunset, butterfly and dragonfly stencils peeking up from different areas of the walls. One of the maids, despite Kaiba's slight annoyance, had even managed to hang a few pictures of unicorns frolicking about up.

The bed posts were a pale ivory color, the drapes hanging down from the beds banister a light yellow, colliding pretty well with the visibly pink sheets through the veil. The furniture in the room were also white, some having stencils added to them to match with the walls, as the last few maids and footmen finished clearing up any signs of a fast fixer upper.

All in all Yami was very impressed by the new interior.

Joey was also amazed by the rooms look.

"Thank God"

"What?" Kaiba noted Joey's smug smile.

"It's not covered in dragons"

Kaiba growled.

* * *

Akira had continued to drag Yugi about, despite the fact that there original intention was to get to her new room and see how it was coming along. However, the little green eyed girl had different ideas, and quickly presumed her quest through the house with her mother's hand tight in her own.

"It's like a giant maze!!!" Akira exclaimed as she peered into yet another room that was hardly ever used, the darkness rudely interrupted by the cascading light from the hall, as Yugi smiled down at her.

"You could say that. I wouldn't stray too far to say that you probably could get lost in here." He ruffled Akira's hair she stepped a little bit into the room.

"You'll find me if I ever get lost, won't you mommy?" Her green eyes pierced Yugi like an arrow as she turned her head to face him. Reaching forward, Yugi bent own and pulled Akira into a tight hug against his chest.

"Yes Akira, I'll always find you" Akira's eyes lit up as she hugged Yugi back, wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging onto him as he stood up. Hugging her close, Yugi shut the door with one of his hands, stepping back into the lighted hallway.

With his back to the door, the tri color haired youth carried the little girl; her eyes peeking out to watch were they were going. She was silent as they walked for awhile down the hall before-

"What's in there?" She pointed to a huge set of double doors, causing Yugi to stop in his tracks and look at the door. He had seen these doors several times before, usually passing them from game room that the others and him had created for there love of cards and video games, but he had yet to actually look inside it yet.

"Probably just an extra bedroom" he noted.

"Open it" Akira exclaimed, leaning across Yugi's arms and reaching for the doorknob. Smiling, he let her swing the door open and look inside the room.

A huge cathedral ceiling caught their eyes, the walls filled with rows and rows of nothing but books on majestic bookcases, a ladder with wheels up a few of the aisles to reach the ones at the top. The walls were covered in majestic artwork, mostly seen on the outside of extravagant museums, floor to ceiling windows against the opposite wall which proclaimed how dark it was outside.

Akira ohed as she flicked on the light switch and stared at the giant works of literature, Yugi a little awed as well, seeing as he had never been in Kaiba's library. If he had ever wanted a book, he had just asked Kaiba for it or went out and bought one. It hadn't occurred to him, since he had never seen Kaiba go in this particular room, that they had even held such an extensive collection.

Akira slid down Yugi's chest and ran about the room, staring at the heavy volumes.

"What are these?" She picked up a book and opened it up, staring at the words inside.

"They're called books." Yugi jumped as Kaiba walked in the room, addressing their daughter's question. "That one in particular is called "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare"

Akira eyed the book. "Hamlet?... What's it about?"

Kaiba smiled and walked over, taking it from her hands gently. "If you'd like, I could try and read it to you some time."

"What does read mean?" Akira blinked looking up at Kaiba.

"It's talking with ink. Instead of speaking, like we're doing know, I would write down what I wanted to say and you would read it." Kaiba opened the book to a random page."Like this," he pointed at one of the sentences, Akira watching as his finger slid under the words. "'The three witches appeared before him.' That's what these words", he said sliding his finger back and forth under what he had just read, "mean. Every word has a written counterpart."

Akira stared at the book for a second before grabbing the pages and flipping them."All of these words?"

Kaiba nodded as she held the book over her head.

"That's a lot!" she pointed out as she turned to her father, the book dangling in her fingers.

Kaiba smiled and took the book from her, replacing it on the shelf.

"If you'd like I could teach you how to read." Akira's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Of course." Kaiba stated as Akira hugged him around the middle.

Yugi smiled at the open affection before actually addressing Kaiba.

"I didn't even know this room existed"

"Surprising what you find if you actually look" Kaiba stood up and took Akira's hand.

"How'd the room turn out?" Yugi pouted a bit at the blue eyes sarcasm.

After what seemed like a moment of thought, Kaiba nodded a little in approval, as though he were tasting a wine and deciding if the year was good.

"It came out alright. You can see it… after dinner" Akira cheered and ran around Kaiba's legs giggling, before she ran out the door.

"Food!!" Kaiba watched her amused.

"Well it's easy to see at least one of the attributes she was programmed with come through"

Yugi looked at Kaiba. "Oh? And what was that?"

Kaiba gave Yugi a smirk, "Joey's personality"

* * *

"FOOD!!" Joey ran past Yami as the pharaoh made his way down the stairs, looking as though he hadn't eaten in a week.

Which, as Yami reminded himself, Joey probably hadn't been eating too well ever since he started mopping about a few weeks ago. Of course, with a painful growl from his stomach, he probably hadn't been eating too well himself. Starving hadn't been a very good idea.

Then again, standing in the middle of the staircase isn't such a good idea either if you don't want to get hit.

"TOU-SAN!!!"

Akira leaped from the top of the staircase and onto Yami's back, who caught himself in time to prevent from careening down the stairs like Kaiba had done with the toy train of doom. Glancing back, he saw the young girl smiling at him, clinging to his arms as he regained his balance.

"Akira!" The young girl's hair whipped around, adding insult to injury and smacking Yami painfully in the face, as she looked up the staircase at Kaiba.

"Yes Father?" Kaiba approached, Yugi lagging behind as he watched the dark haired man stare down at her.

"Don't do that again! You could have seriously hurt Yami" Akira's eyes widened as she looked down at Yami.

"I didn't mean to.."

"Well you almost did" Akira's face softened as she slipped off of Yami's back, her eyes to the ground.

"Yes Father… I'm sorry Tou-san". If anything made Yami feel like someone had ripped out his heart, rolled it in sand, and then stomped on it..

… it was the look Akira was giving him right now. He recognized the look as something Yugi did when he was hurt, and just seeing her with those sad eyes, though no tears graced the bottom like his faithful partners usually did, it still made him wish to be buried alive.

Maybe with flesh eating bugs as company.

Yami reached forward and touched her shoulder. "It's alright. I know you wouldn't really hurt me"

"Mean it?" Akira asked, her eyes still fixed in a sad gesture.

Yea, definitely flesh eating bugs.

"Of course I do" Yami smiled, bending down so as to be face to face with her as he smiled.

With a small cheer of happiness, Akira turned, waking Yami in the face with her hair again, before running down to the dining room.

"Oh, the pain!" Yami moaned as he grasped his cheek, Yugi chuckling as he went pass.

"I think she has it out for you" Kaiba smirked as he watched Yami rub his already soar cheek from earlier.

"You probably programmed to kill her Tou-san or something like that" Yami mumbled as he looked down the staircase.

Humphing, Kaiba walked by Yami, reaching down and grabbing Yami's hand, pulling the pharaoh with surprise down the stairs with him.

"Why would I want to kill the one I loved?"

Yami smiled, gripping Kaiba's hand tight as they made their way into the dining room.

* * *

Dinner had been a real treat.

Akira sat between Joey and Yugi, and tried almost everything, except for a few items that Joey hadn't eaten. It was also a real blast trying to teach her how to use a fork, seeing as she kept holding it upside down and kept trying to scoop the food with the less than nothing handle.

After a quick explanation of which way the fork went, with more near death experiences courtesy of Yami, who just happened to be sitting almost straight across from Akira, dinner had passed with a different feeling of togetherness spreading throughout the family.

To Joey, it was like Akira had always been there, ever since the four had gotten together. To him, she wasn't a computer system but a real little girl that the family had given birth to in a sense.

She was quickly becoming one of the many reasons he lived, as she was extremely attached to each of the four men, and her constant hugs and wide eyes were beyond cute.

He could already see the traits of each of them through the girl. Her determination to learn seemed to be something of Kaiba's, since he was always off trying to make something new, her cuteness and love seemed to be a Yugi thing, her joy for running about and acting like the only one important seemed to be more of his trait, and, yet he hadn't noticed anything too pronounced about Yami in her, though he had a feeling that if she ever learned how to play duel monsters, she would be just as great as the pharaoh.

Then again, she did have four great duelists for parents.

After dinner was over, they decided to sit around the living room for a bit, Kaiba having a fire started to lighten the room up a bit, as Yami laid his head down on Yugi's lap. Akira sat in Joey's lap, playing with his fingers.

"What are you doing?" Joey watched as she spread his fingers in and out, tracing them about.

"You have big hands" She noted as she placed her palm against Joey's.

"Well, of course it would seem that way. But when you get older, your hands won't be so small"

Kaiba glanced up from the fire and looked at Joey, who seemed a bit aware suddenly that Akira, as real as she seemed, would never be able to grow up in body at least.

Oblivious to the sudden attraction of stares, even Yami and Yugi had looked at her at Joey's words; the young girl stifled a yawn behind her hand and smiled up at Joey.

"I think it's bedtime for someone", Kaiba announced as he stood up, causing the other three to jump as he reached forward and picked up Akira.

"But I don't want to go to bed" Akira mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. "I want to stay up with you Father"

Kaiba didn't seem to care what she wanted to do, however, and placed her over his shoulder.

"You need to rest if you want to be fully awake tomorrow." Akira seemed a bit agitated but she slowly laid her head onto Kaiba's shoulder. Trudging out of the room, the other three quickly followed the two up the stairs and to the new bedroom.

The room was blinding compared to its earlier grey color, as Kaiba walked in, Yugi running forward and turning down the cover, before Kaiba set Akira down.

Joey smiled and bent down, running his fingers through her hair to take out a few tangles as Yami searched through her drawers for a night shirt.

Helping her dress, sine Kaiba thought Yami had tried and failed miserably at the task earlier that day, Kaiba carried her dirty clothes to a hamper by the door as Joey picked her up and placed her in bed, Yugi covering her up.

"Good night Tou-san"

"Goodnight Akira" Yami smiled.

"Goodnight Mommy"

"Night, night" Yugi was still a little off about the 'mother thing'

"Goodnight Father"

"Sleep well' Kaiba nodded from beside Joey.

"Goodnight Daddy" Akira smiled as she leaned forward, kissing Joey's cheek.

A slight numbing feeling filled the pit of Joey's stomach before he returned the kiss.

"Goodnight, love"

Akira snuggled under her blankets as the four men finished bidding her goodnight, slowly falling asleep.

"Could this day get any better" Joey sighed as they closed her bedroom door, leaning against the wall in the hallway.

Kaiba smirked and leaned dangerously close to the blonde, as Yugi an Yami exchanged a look.

"Shut up and kiss me Mutt"

* * *

The dark wasn't scary. It wasn't supposed to be. What's in it that we can't see is what really frightens us. Curtains flew with the cool air of the night, the side windows springing open as green eyes stared into the mirror, bare feet cold against the floor, her reflection cold and placid in the dark room.

As she stared, the reflection moved and pressed hands against the glass, red eyes clashing with green. The girl in the mirror smiled, red droplets flooding down her chin as she stared from the cold glass.

"Who are you?" Akira stared at the mirror, her eyes slightly fearful with the sight.

Something was wrong and she didn't know why, but she felt uneasy now that she was alone in the dark.

The girls' in the glass mouth moved, aching to speak, but nothing more than red thick liquid flooded down her mouth, before the red eyes glowed.

"Revenge…. I want my revenge…."

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** OHHHH CRAZINESS!!

**Kaiba**: What the hell?

**LefthandedFreak:** Yea, I know, I'm awesome.

**Yami:** What's going on?!

**Yugi:** I want to know!!

**LefthandedFreak;** Well you can-

**All four:** YEA!

**LefthandedFreak**: - in a couple of chapters.

**All four:** XO

**LefthandedFreak:** Read and Review!!


	11. dreams, cooks, and eating habits

**Kaiba:** Hello you dweebs. I'm guessing you're here for another chapter of hell? Well, just so you know, LefthandedFreak is out of commi-

**LefthandedFreak**: (dances into the room MP3 player on ears) Whoot!!

**Kaiba:** Why do my hit men fail to kill her?!

**LefthandedFreak:** (still dancing, not noticing him) Them baggy sweatpants and the rebook with the straps!!!

**Kaiba:** O.o

**Joey:** (walks in) what's going- (see's leftie trying to do the pop lock and drop it and failing miserably)

**LefthandedFreak:** (clutching Mp3) Next thing ya know!! Shorty got low low low low low low low!!! (Falls over) owwww

**Joey:** -on?

**LefthandedFreak:** (suddenly becomes aware that there are people in the room) OH MY GOD!!! (Rips MP3 player off of ears) You weren't supposed to see that!!

**Kaiba:** I thought you hated rap songs.

**LefthandedFreak:** I usually do…. Except that one just gets me for some odd reason.

**Kaiba:** hypocrite. (Goes back to reading the reviews) Well seeing as she's still alive and sucking at it, let's get to these reviews.

**LefthandedFreak:** A Kaiba who likes to read reviews?

**Yami:** (hiding behind the couch) IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!

_**DragonLady222**_ – I know (giggles too) He's just too adorable as mommy.

**Yugi:** Meanies.

**LefthandedFreak:** Ah maybe Akira can… I'll never tell!!

**Kaiba:** Shut up before you spoil everything.

_**Arisa**__** Akita**_ – ZOMG!!! (Starts to cry) I don't know what to say!!

**Kaiba**: Who's going to wear the dress?

**LefthandedFreak:** I've always wanted to wear coattails!!! I'll have to consider the offer though..

**Kaiba:** Better take the offer. It's the only one you'll get.

**LefthandedFreak:** Yeap, just as soon as things calm down, I pounce with a new plot twist! Ah, Joey and Kaiba are predictable as ever.

**Kaiba:** Shut up and write, Leftie.

**LefthandedFreak:**(hugs teddy bear) Enjoy!!!

* * *

The first thing that Joey noticed the next morning was that there was a sudden coldness to his left, which was a bit unusual. Opening his eyes, he blinked off sleep as he noticed the edge of the bed where Kaiba usually slept was empty. Turning his head, he noticed Yami and Yugi still in bed with him, both still fast asleep, Yugi's hand on his waist, Yami's fingers tangled into Yugi's hair. Glancing back at the empty edge he wondered were their blue eyed love could be.

Normally if Kaiba had work, he would have informed the others the night before, unless he had been called in. However, if that were the case, then they were usually awaken by the phone trying to get a hold of the CEO, or of the business man himself shaking at least one of them awake to let them know that he was leaving.

Kaiba had only left a note once, and it quickly proved to be a bad idea seeing as it had been rolled on top of by Yami, who freaked out when, out of grogginess, he had confused the sticky note glued to his chest for something more threatening and had quickly freaked out.

And when Yami freaks out, some appliances as we have witnessed with the toaster demon, usually don't survive his rampage.

Slowly sliding out from under Yugi's arm, though he would rather have just stayed there, he slowly sat up and tussled his hair before leaning against the edge of the bed and heading over to the dressers, doing a double take as he noticed the chair at Kaiba's desk was occupied.

Freaking out a little, Joey wondered what it could be. Maybe one of the guys bags? No, it was too big for that. Dirty clothes? No, Kaiba hated dirty laundry lying any where but in the laundry hamper. But that seemed the only logical thing since it looked like nothing more than a huge pile of clothes.

That is, until it moved, causing Joey to jump a bit.

Clothes definitely didn't move on their own.

Glancing back at Yugi and Yami, Joey edged forward, grabbing a lamp off the side board for protection as he approached the chair cautiously and raised it high above his head, ready to strike.

"I hope you don't plan on killing me this morning. I haven't even had coffee yet." Joey jumped and then blushed in embarrassment, recognizing the deep and subtle voice as Kaiba's.

"I'm sorry", he quickly placed the lamp back and focused on the figure of Kaiba, his outline coming into a fuller view as he stared into the dark corner. "I just noticed you were gone from bed and then I couldn't see in the corner and-"

"Shh. You'll wake her up." Joey started for a moment at Kaiba's words. Her? Who was-

-and then the events of yesterday came crashing upon Joey like an anvil does on a very boring yet highly amusing cartoon.

A lamp near Kaiba's desk flicked on and Joey was finally able to see clearly. A blanket was draped around Akira, who was snuggled close to Kaiba fast asleep, the blue eyed man staring across at Joey, giving the impression that she hadn't been the only one asleep in the chair. Joey stared down at them.

"Did you bring her from her bedroom?" Kaiba looked a bit agitated at Joey's question.

"No. She came in here last night saying something about her room being scary. Of course with all that pink.." Kaiba mumbled the last bit more to himself than to Joey, as the blonde looked down at her.

"Scary? Why would she say that?"

The dark haired man reached up with his free hand and rubbed his temple. "I don't know. She said there was something wrong and wanted to know if she could sleep with us." He nodded to the bed. "However, seeing as some of us are still naked from last night's 'excursion', I got up and took her over here and let her sleep in my lap"

Joey looked from the brown haired man to the little multi colored haired girl. Akira was clinging to Kaiba's shirt, not seeming to notice any movement Kaiba made, and the both of them looked like they hadn't had it to great in the chair, Akira less than the dark haired man holding her gently.

"Poor thing." Kaiba watched Joey as he reached forward, gently pulling Akira from the others arms. Akira twisted at the sudden change of arms, but quickly settled as she clung to Joey's shirt instead. He smiled, feeling the happiest he could have ever thought that he could as she clung tight to him before he looked up at the bleary eyed CEO.

Kaiba has slumped at the loss of his daughter, not as stiff as he had been, though Joey hadn't noticed that until after Kaiba was leaning back in the chair, rubbing the bridge of his noise. Slowly and carefully, Joey leaned forward and kissed Seto on the head gently, causing the other to look up.

"You need to get some rest. I'll take care of Akira." Kaiba looked a bit unsure; he was used to kids as he had practically raised Mokuba, but his brain being in a fuzzy state of mind, he decided not to worry and nodded before standing up. Reaching up, he placed his hand on Joey's free shoulder as he walked past as though to say how much he appreciated the change in responsibility.

Watching Kaiba as he laid himself back into bed, snuggling up against Yugi, Joey smiled down at his daughter before carrying her back out of the room and down to her own.

* * *

It took Joey awhile to jiggle the door open, especially since he was holding Akira bridle style instead of across his shoulder, and he stumbled forward a bit as the door flew open. Steadying himself, he looked down to make sure that Akira was still asleep before he approached her bed and laid her down.

She shifted a bit as she laid in bed before she rolled over, her hand seeming to search for the bit of shirt Joey had gently pulled from her fingers. Her eyes flew open slightly as Joey reached down and grabbed the sheets to cover her up.

"Daddy?" Joey's eyes flew from the end of the bed to his daughter's questioning look. "Where's Father?"

Joey smiled and pulled the blankets over her arms, before sitting on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through her hair.

"He's in bed sleeping." Akira slowly looked around.

Sitting bolt upright, her head missed Joey's chin as her eyes flew to the mirror in between her doors. There was nothing there except for a reflection of the rest of the room and her panicked eyes as she searched the glassy frame.

Joey glanced over at the doors.

"What is it Akira?" Maybe an animal had been stalking around outside last night that had scared Akira. If he could explain at least a logical solution, as Kaiba would put it, she probably wouldn't be afraid of her room.

Her eyes lingered at the doors before she looked up at Joey.

"There was a little girl with red eyes who came to visit last night." Joey quirked a brow.

A little girl? Why would another child frighten Akira? For that matter, why was a child out late by themselves?

"Are you sure honey?" Akira's eyes widened up at him.

"I saw her!" Akira seemed to be pleading with him to believe her, a determined look on her face. That he recognized as a Yami trait. He gently brushed a bang away from her eyes and smiled.

"I believe you. I'll see if Seto can set anything up with the night watchmen. Right now, I'll stay here and protect you as you sleep." Akira stared at the mirror for a few seconds longer before she reached forward and hugged Joey around the middle.

"Thank you, daddy" She mumbled in his chest as he gently steered her back down to the mattress and watched her as she fell asleep.

* * *

It wasn't anywhere he recognized, no sight of a building for miles, an old forlorn fence surrounding the edge of the valley. He walked around the side of the fence and into what looked like the start of someone's farm land. As he made his way down the rising and falling hills of the valley, he spotted a wooden cottage with a green door in the middle, a giant withered oak tree right outside the front of the house.

There was someone at the tree, as if sitting in the branches, their long hair sliding down the knotted trunk. The person seemed to notice his sudden attention to her before their eyes lifted and met his. Brown pained pupils clashed with blue curious ones.

Now that he noticed better, she wasn't sitting in the tree, but stuck inside the thick decaying trunk. Tears splashed down her face as her lips parted in agony.

'Help Me…"

* * *

Kaiba jerked awake. At first he was a bit confused as to where he was before he sat up and looked around. He was in his bed by himself, the covers a complete mess, and not in some field in the middle of nowhere.

Rubbing his head he tried to focus on the dream at hand.

He had had the dream once before, though it had been less detailed and he had wiped it away as a nightmare. However, this time it seemed a lot more.. real. Flicking back the covers, Kaiba glanced at the clock on the dresser nearby. It was only eight o' clock, a few hours from when he had gone back to sleep, however he felt wide awake now. Pulling on a pair of slacks and a dark green shirt, Kaiba walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him as he ran a hand through his hair.

It was only a dream, wasn't it?

* * *

Yugi was in the living room, a hair brush in hand as he gently dragged it through Akira's hair, who was hugging a stuffed rabbit Joey had given her earlier, watching Yami studying what appeared to be a blender.

"Love, do you mind not blowing anything up today?" Yugi sighed as he continued to run the bristles through the long length of hair.

Yami looked down at Yugi as he swung the blender a bit by its cord.

"I still don't understand the whole concept of it." Yami observed as he put the blender down. Yugi sighed as he reached beside him and picked up a yellow bow that matched Akira's white and yellow dress, and started pulling her hair into a ponytail, leaving her bangs out.

"You put food in it and it blends it up. Nothing to it." Yami plopped in a chair across from Yugi and Akira.

"But what's the point? People can chew it up if they wanted it chopped."

"Yea but I wouldn't eat it from another person's mouth."

"Yet you'll eat from another person's -"

"Yami!!" The multi colored haired pharaoh jumped as he turned to see Joey staring down at him from the doorway. "Little ears!"

Yami glanced over at Akira who seemed to take the whole conversation with intent interest, and he rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying close attention" Yugi smiled appreciatively at Yami's words before he finished tying Akira's bow.

"There. All done" Akira jumped up at Yugi's words and ran to the closest mirror, studying herself.

"Thank You mommy!!" Her cute button eyes hugged her bunny close as she turned her head, smiling at her parents.

Joey smiled as he hugged her from behind.

"You look like a little doll. Beautiful" Akira reached up with her arms and gave Joey an awkward hug around his neck, seeing as her back was too him, before she ran about the room, dancing in front of Yami.

"Tou-san!! You like my dress?" Yami smiled at her, thinking back on the events of the dressing room from the previous day slightly, before he nodded.

"Of course I do."

Akira practically beamed as she ran around the couch, bunny still flapping its long ears in her arms. Joey smiled at her as he caught the sight of Kaiba walking into the room and taking in the sight.

It didn't take long for Akira to notice the appearance of her father either, for she came from around the couch and ran at Kaiba, hugging him around the legs, as he smiled down at her.

"Looks like you didn't need professional help to dress today." Yami pursed his lips at the comment as Yugi chuckled behind his fingers.

"Daddy helped me dress, Father." Akira answered honestly as she peaked back at Joey.

Kaiba seemed to raise a brow at Joey.

"I guess when you said you take care of everything, you meant everything"

Joey leaned against the wall. "Yea well, it's not as hard as Yami makes it look"

"HEY!"

"Alright you guys" Yugi implied as he placed Akira brush next to the blender. Kaiba eyed the kitchen appliance.

"Why is that in here?"

"Umm" Yami pointedly slipped further into his seat by the sudden attraction he was getting.

"Yami feels that people should just chop food with their teeth" Yugi announced, trying to hide a smile.

"He also said that Mommy eats from other people's-"

"AKIRA" Kaiba looked slightly appalled at Yami, who looked as though he were trying to get pulled into the couch by evil mole people.

"What? I was just going to say 'something'. Tou-san didn't get to finish his sentence since Daddy stepped in" Kaiba sighed a bit in relief, still glaring down at Yami, the only visible part of him seemed to be his hair, before he walked across the room and wacked Yami in the head.

"Oww" Yami rubbed his head indignantly as Kaiba stared him down. "What was that for?!"

Kaiba smirked. "That was for almost saying something crude in front of our daughter."

"The main point here is almost!" Yami muttered but slipped into silence as Kaiba glanced back at the blender. Picking it up, he turned to their daughter.

"Akira, would you mind taking this back to the kitchen?" The little girl nodded at her father before she took the appliance, skipping out of the room, her bunny stuffed in the nook of her arms. Waiting until she was out of ear shot, Kaiba sat down, caught Yugi's eyes, and said, "We need to talk"

* * *

Akira stared up at the giant kitchen, the pots glistening in the sunlight streaming in from the windows, as she placed the blender back on the counter. Wandering around, her eyes flew from the fruits in the basket on the counter to the knives in their sheath. She stared at them for a moment before she climbed on a stool and reached for sharp objects.

"I wouldn't touch those honey" Akira jumped in surprise and turned her head, to see Aira waking over and picking up the knives, placing them in a cupboard above the sink.

"Why not?" Akira asked curiously as she sat back on the stool. Aira smiled as she turned around and leaned against the counter towards Akira.

"They can hurt you if you don't know how to use them properly." Akira peered curiously at Aira.

"What do they do?" the cook smiled down at the little girl.

"They cut things up, mostly food" she nodded towards the fridge. "Anyways, how are you getting along honey?"

Akira smiled as she hugged her rabbit close. "I'm doing fine".

The cook stared at Akira for awhile.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Akira glanced up at Aira. "Ok. Father let me sleep in his arms before Daddy watched me while I slept in my room"

Aira gazed at Akira with dark eyes. "Oh? Why didn't you sleep all night in your bed?"

Akira stared back at the cook. She was a little hesitant on letting her know, but there was something about Aira that put the little girl at ease.

"There was a strange girl with red eyes". Aira's eyes widened in interest.

"Oh? Was she watching you from outside?" Akira shook her head.

"No… she was inside the mirror."

"A girl inside the mirror." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. Aira looked bothered by this information and reached over, touching Akira's hand gently. "Did she scare you?"

Akira stared at Aira in the eyes before she nodded.

Aira pulled her hand away and stood up straight, pushing her hair back behind her ear as her eyes became suddenly interested with the ceiling.

"If she could only let it pass…"

"Let what pass?" Akira asked the brown haired cook, as she shook her head.

"Nothing dear. Nothing to worry about.. yet"

"What do you mean?"

"Excuse me?" Akira turned and saw another maid entering from the main door. The other lady was staring at Akira curiously. "Who are you talking to?"

"I was talking to the cook." The little girl smiled as she turned back to the center of the island, noticing Aira had left again. The maid looked slightly surprised at Akira's response but shook it off.

"The cook?"

"Yes mam'"

The other lady glanced around the kitchen before shrugging. Maybe the child was playing pretend.

"You better go on little one. The kitchen is no place for a child to play." Nodding at the maid, Akira slid off of her stool and took off out of the room.

The maid smiled as she watched the new little miss disappear down the hall before heading over to the counter.

Huh. That was odd. Where had the knives gone?

* * *

Yugi was glancing between the guys looking worried. Yami looked calm but still gave the impression of curiosity. Joey was the only one who was looking out the window.

A strange child comes and visits Akira in the dead of the night and now a freaky dream?

Was it connected?

"As I said it might be nothing to worry about' Kaiba nodded slightly at the worried look on Yugi's face. "I haven't had a decent night of sleep for awhile because of work so I might have just thought-"

"Well I think it does mean something." Joey interrupted as he peered out the window; he's eyes not really looking at anything but more lost in thought. Running his fingers through his hair, Joey looked back at them seriously. "Akira told me she was visited by a little girl last night."

"Last night? How did she get in the yard, or for that matter, the balcony?" Yami inquired.

"I don't know but that's what made her come to our room last night. She said the girl frightened her". Yugi looked worried at Joey's response.

"Another girl scared Akira?" Yami was staring up at Joey from his perch on the arm of the chair.

"But what does that have to do with Kaiba's dream?" Yugi played with his shirt uncomfortably.

"I don't know… but it does seem odd that this girl suddenly appears right before Kaiba had his nightmare." Joey noted.

"But what would she want with Akira? Who is she?-"

"And how can Fate need help?" Kaiba interrupted Yugi. "I mean, she's… dead". It seemed harsh to say, but it was the truth.

Yugi continued to shift restlessly at Kaiba's words before switching his gaze towards Yami.

"What can we do?"

Yami's eyes met Yugi's, sharing a similar worried look. "We could have a few of the night watchmen stay around her window. Or maybe we could take turns with watch?" Yami was being a lot more mature than we have seen him so far, which I guess comes with being a pharaoh and all.

Kaiba nodded. "That does seem like a good idea"

"What about Fate though?" Joey chewed his bottom lip.

Kaiba sighed, not exactly wanting to broach the subject anymore than they had. "I'm not sure", he rubbed his eyes, "however, even if we don't know what to do about that, we can still take steps to protecting Akira. She's more important and we can actually try to protect her"

"There is no try. We will protect her" Joey stood up and looked at the other three. "Nothing will hurt her as long as we're there"

Yugi nodded his agreement, a smile gracing his lips. Yami leaned back against the chair satisfied, and Kaiba rolled his fingers through his hair.

Nothing would hurt Akira. Not with them. Still, Kaiba thought as Akira came running up to him, a book swinging from her arms, he wondered if it would be enough.

Something bad was going to happen and, as he held Akira against his chest and opened the book, he couldn't help but feeling there was something bigger than what they could handle.

* * *

Aphrodite was leaning back, her long blonde hair falling along the well made counter- top as she stared at the lady across from her.

"Her first night here and she has a nightmare?" The short haired cook who had caught Akira by herself in the kitchen nodded, having finally found the knives and was preparing lunch.

"Yea. Kaiba hates when we gossip, but it's kind of hard not to notice when you go in to see if the master is up and about and find him asleep with the girl in his arms and not in her bed, especially after all that work yesterday night. Oh well." The cook shrugged as she added a pan to the stove.

"What would she be afraid of?" Aphrodite's eyes steered across the counters.

The cook only chuckled a bit. "Most children are very clingy, and the size of this house probably alarmed her a bit into a restless sleep. No surprise there." Aphrodite nodded as she watched the woman cooking.

"Do you know what the dream was about", the bringer of love asked, becoming interested in a very shabby looking calculator that was lying alone on the counter.

"No" the woman answered honestly. "I'm sure it was nothing. Hopefully she'll get a good night sleep tonight and start off a bit better tomorrow. Though, I wanted to ask you.. Have you been impersonating as me Camilla?" Aphrodite shook her head at the fake name she had assumed.

"No, why do you ask?" The cook stopped chopping the vegetables on the counter and looked back at Aphrodite.

"It's just earlier; the little miss said that she had been talking to the cook, which is impossible."

"Why's that?" Aphrodite inquired as she played with a few buttons on the calculator.

"Because I'm the only cook in this house. And I still find it odd that the salad for yesterday night's meal was finished before I had even begun working on an idea for dinner." The blonde head turned towards the island and eyed the knives in their holder.

"Maybe one of the other maids thought they should help." The cook shook her head as she threw some meat in a pan.

"I already asked all of them, and you being new and all; I thought just maybe… but oh well I probably just forgot."

Aphrodite's eyes lingered on the sheath holding the dangerous blades within. "Perhaps she hasn't"

The cook glanced back curiously. "What was that, Camilla?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Nothing. Well I better go dear, work to do and all." she picked up the calculator and headed for the door. "And you know how master Kaiba is if the work isn't done. Goodbye"

"See you later Camilla", the cook nodded and went back to the pan on the stove. Huh? When did she put tomatoes in here?

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** I actually feel a contest brewing!!

**Kaiba:** oh boy.

**LefthandedFreak:** I want to see what people think Akira looks like!!

**Kaiba:** What's the prize?

**LefthandedFreak:** A stupid blue ribbon. (Holds up horrible and dirty blue ribbon) So send in a picture of what you think she looks like. If not through here, send it through Deviantart. I'm LefthandedFreak there too.

**Yugi:** Which she doesn't own by the way..

**Kaiba:** Read and Review you dweebs.


	12. Contest?

**LefthandedFreak:** I'm sorry guys, I haven't updated in awhile. And alas, I'm sad to announce that this chapter won't be up until… Wednesday.

**Kaiba:** (glaring) shocker

**LefthandedFreak:** Hey, I have a good excuse!

**Josh:** What? Did someone steal all your favorite stuffed animals and burn them?

**LefthandedFreak:** (eyes Josh)….. umm… I don't think so…

**Josh:** Might want to check that.

**LefthandedFreak**: O.O…. umm… later….anyways , the reasons I am late is…

**Reason 1**

Only one person sent in a picture X( .

That's a very unhappy face by the way. I actually waited in case someone else sent one in, but I haven't received anything, so I decided to move on to this message. However, I was very pleased with the picture I did receive!!! (Hugs it)If you still want to send in a picture, do so before Wednesday, otherwise, you can still send one in but it won't come with an awesome can of silly string (gives Arisa Akita a can of silly string)

And since I'm on the topic….

_**Arisa Akita-**_ I think pop lock and take a nap is a much better version of the dance (giggles).

**Kaiba**: OWWW!!! (hops up and down) YOU LITTLE-

**LefthandedFreak:** (grabs Kaiba and throws him into a marsh of marshmallows) time out bad boy. (hugs you) Anyways, I LOVED YOUR PICTURE!!! It was so pretty and she's wearing the yellow sundress!!! (squeezes you) IT SO PRETTY!!! (paste's it on wall) Thanks so much!!

**_Dragonlady222-_** Oh bad things will happen, you know me, but this story will end on a happier note…. Maybe…. I haven't decided yet.

**Yugi:** You're not going to kill someone off again are you?

**LefthandedFreak**:….. I won't say there won't be death in it?

**Yami:** Oh Crud.

**LefthandedFreak:** But its not like you'll expect. Hmm… Aira as Fate…. I was hoping that they would come out a little different from each other, but I just enjoy writing for Fate…I kind of regret killing her off….. . . 

No picture?

Anyways, now for my second reason for taking so long.

**Reason 2**

My brother decided that since I was gone, he'd borrow my car without permission. He then decided to not put it in park all the way, and on his way out of the car, it starts to roll, to which he proceeds to try and keep the door from swinging out all the way, and from stopping the car from moving and ends up…crushing his hand and wrecking my car. So now my car is banged up beyond every opening my door again, my brother will be in the hospital for 3 weeks, and I already know who he's going to blame.

Me. He will. My brother is like that. I will go to his hospital side bed, do what he wants, help as best I can, and yet he will act like his stuff is the only stuff I have to do and that it is my fault for him being there….

so I'm sorry about the chapter is being held off for Wednesday.

**Kaiba:** I'm not even that bad.

**Josh:** Me neither.

**LefthandedFreak:** Why do you think I hang with you?

**Yami:** She's got a point.

**LefthandedFreak**: Anyways, so onto my homework, and your chapter should be up Wednesday along with a SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME TREAT!! Sorry for the wait!!

**Kaiba:** Keep reading and reviewing dweebs.


	13. We're going to need some more books

**LefthandedFreak:** Ok so I'm late. Shoot me!

**Kaiba:** Ok! (cocks gun)

**LefthandedFreak**: (yanks it away) I'm not serious!

**Kaiba:** Then don't say it if you're not, sheesh.

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyways, sorry for taking awhile, however I do think you'll be pleased!! I have THREE special treats for you!! The first two are!!!

**One**

A picture of the guys I drew. I will eventually color it, but I haven't had the time yet, so here they are just plan.

**Two**

A picture of Akira with the girl in the mirror, who will be making a lot of appearances! I will color this one too.

However, I do love the one Arisa Akita did! (Still hugging picture)

And now, for the third and best thing I did for you guys, which is actually why this took so long getting up is…..

**Three**

I MADE A VIDEO!!! Yeppers! I made an opening credit to this story. It might not be the best thing ever, but hopefully it'll suffice. You can find a link to all three of these gifts to you on my profile page thing. You know, the think that say what stories I'm into and all that. If you can't access it there, go to YouTube and deviant and look for me there. I have the same screen name everywhere for the most part.

Hope you enjoy!!

* * *

It had been a week since Akira's arrival and everything had slowly fallen into place. The guys had taken turns the first two nights after the last dream and watched over Akira as she slept, but without any sign of another child on the balcony or even trying to get into the yard, they eventually left Akira to her room by herself, Joey still getting up in the middle of the night to check on her as she slept peacefully. Akira had also quickly chosen each of her parents to help her with certain things. Kaiba became her instructor on reading and on playing the piano, which she was soon rivaling even her father, Yugi taught her manners and helped teach her how to do a lot of things for herself, Joey she went to if she wanted to play in the yard and Yami she approached to learn about games.

Which Yami enjoyed very much. He hadn't lost anytime in showing her how to play chess, checkers, backgammon, Chinese checkers, blackjack, poker, go fish, and countless other games that you don't need a board for. The pharaoh hadn't taught duel monsters yet, however. He thought it would be best if they all explained to her the rules on that one, since it only seemed right that since they all loved the game, they could all give a shot on teaching her something about it.

Akira had taken to everything her parents taught her faster than most children, sometimes running around and repeating limerick or poem that Kaiba had taught her to read, but she had never impressed them so much as she had till then.

It was suppose to be a nice Sunday evening; Kaiba was in his home office working, while the others entertained Akira. At least, that's what they were supposed to be doing before mischief broke lose. Joey had left earlier that day, deciding to visit his sister and catch her up on everything, leaving Yami and Yugi to watch over their daughter… that was until Yugi's grandpa called unexpectedly, having a much need for help in his shop, to which both multi colored hair guys decided to volunteer for, Kaiba insisting that they both go if the old man needed the help that badly. Of course, this made it very hard on Seto.

"Father, can we play?" Akira peaked over Kaiba's desk as he typed away on his computer, the later finding it difficult to concentrate. His latest idea was a hit, but some of the jinxes in the system were slowing down production and he needed to work it out before the board decided to pull it from production. Akira cocked her head a bit as she studied her father, her eyes studying his fingers as they rushed against the keys.

"Not right now, Akira. I'm very busy with work." The young girl rested her chin on the desk at this, her face pulling an undisputable Yami pout, which had been a trait she was programmed with. Kaiba sighed at bit as he glanced at her, her eyes focused on him with sickening sweetness, a Yugi trait. Why did he program her with the traits that made him cave into submission?

"But I'm bored" she moaned as she bunched her tangle free hair through her fingers, this being a Joey trait, before Kaiba leaned back and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He wasn't going to cave in, no matter what.

"I know you are, but this is very important…. Tell you what, why don't you go to the library and read until I come and get you, and then we can play whatever you want." Akira thought about it for a minute, deciding if she liked this idea or not, before she smiled and hugged her father.

"Alright father! I'll wait for you" kissing Kaiba on the cheek, the young girl turned and sprinted down the hall.

* * *

And thus Akira's wait had started. A few books, turned into a monstrous pile of books, and she was soon tearing through each shelf with ease, having become quite familiar with a book called 'Dictionary'. She was going through the third shelf off the fourth monstrous shelves of books, when a slight knock on the door caused her to look up.

"Mind if I come in?"Aira was holding a plate of cut apples in her hands, smiling down at the young miss. Akira smiled and sat up.

"Aira!! It's been awhile since I've seen you!" Akira knocked the book she had been reading to the floor before running over and throwing her arms around the brunette's waist. Aira held tightly to the plate, making sure none of the apples fell before she reached a hand down and stroke Akira's hair.

"It's been hard to see anyone lately. But I'm here now" Pushing Akira back gently, she offered the small plate of apples to Akira. "Here you are dear. I thought you might be hungry after all that reading"

Akira smiled as she bit into an apple piece. "I actually hadn't noticed. I'm waiting on Father to finish with his work so we can play. "

Aira smiled and strode in, picking up one of the books Akira had read.

"War and Peace. You understand this?" the brunette maid eyed Akira curiously as the young girl plopped back onto the floor, flipping open the book she had left off on, and munched on her apple.

"Yeap. It made a great deal of sense after I finished on the dictionary. It was a very effective book and helped me to understand the text in general." Aira looked a bit surprised at this, especially at the new use of vocabulary that the young girl was spitting out, but she smiled just the same.

"Well, learning is a very important tool. Once on learns, they can understand the problem better…." Aira paused before sinking to her knees in front of Akira, grasping the small girl's shoulders tightly. "We must understand the problem if we plan to fix it. You must remember that Akira, you must!"

Akira was startled by this sudden change in Aira, the maid's eyes looking desperately into Akira's own, before the maid's grasp slowly slipped from Akira's shoulders.

"Your adventure is just starting, and the journey will be hard and difficult. Trust me little one, however, and I will protect you as best I can. Until I can no longer escape my confines…. then it'll be up to the four of them to protect you…. to protect you from vengeance. "Aira's hands wrapped gently around Akira's shoulders, holding her close. "You must help her if you want to live"

Akira sat still, her eyes staring at Aira's hair up against her face. She was scared and confused. What was Aira talking about? And why was she so scared for her?

"What's going to happen, Aira?" the young maid shook her head gently before pulling back.

"I cannot say… I wish I could, but I can't know. Just remember, your not alone…" sitting back, Aira wiped her eyes slightly, tears having escaped from her eyes, though, as Akira studied the brunette's face, they seemed to lack something. Aira smiled down at the little miss as she composed herself and leaned back.

"If you please, I would love to have a story told. I was never good at reading." Akira coked her head at this.

" Really? I could teach you if you want." Aira stared at Akira, confusion on her face.

"It would be nice, my little miss, however, I will not be able to remember…. I wasn't good at that" Leaning back, the brunette set the young girl in her lap and handed Akira a book. "I'd much rather hear you read to me, thank you". Akira hesitated, eyeing Aira over her shoulder, before she picked up the book and flipped it open.

"The tale of two cities…"

* * *

It had been hours since Kaiba had started his project in the presence of his daughter, and now that he noticed, the sun was starting to set, and a sound of the car pulling up could be heard. The footsteps on the stairs confirmed that it was Joey, since it was a single pair, and he stood up as he shut the computer down before the door opened. The blonde stood before Kaiba, his sleeveless red shirt clinging to his chest as he peaked in through the doorway.

"Are you still working Kaiba?" Joey eyed Kaiba's office, making sure he wasn't interrupting the brunette's work, as he made his way inside.

"No. I just got finished with it." Joey nodded as he glanced around the room.

"Where's Akira?" the blonde's eyes met with his blue eyed companion.

"She's in the library reading like I asked her to."

"How long ago was that?"

"Not that long ago. It was just twelve when I sent her off-"

"WHAT?!" Kaiba jumped a bit, but of course didn't show it, as Joey's looked bewildered at Kaiba. "Seto, do you have any idea what time it is?!"

As Kaiba normally was, and he didn't like to admit it, but he never kept track of time when working. He stood motionless, his eyes flickering back to his desk. Why hadn't he bothered with getting a clock?

Joey, of course, took Kaiba's silence as all the answer he needed.

"My god, Kaiba, its 7! She's been waiting for you for seven hours! "Sure enough, Kaiba could just make out the small figure seven shining from Joey's digital wristwatch. "And where are Yugi and Yami then? Surely they went to take care of her, right?"

"Actually, they left earlier to help with Yugi's grandfather..."

"AAAHH!! " Joey rubbed his head aggravated.

"Relax, Joey. She can take care of herself if need be. If she got hungry, she more than knows where the kitchen is. She wouldn't wander off outside by herself..." Joey of course, didn't wholeheartedly agree with this. Turning, he speed off down the hall to the library, Kaiba sighing as he followed.

Arriving at the huge double doors, Joey flung them open, only to have to catch himself on the handle as he tripped on a stack of books by the door. Akira was in the middle of the library, all but about 30 books left on the shelves, a particularly heavy volume laid open in front of her. The young miss's eyes flew up and caught sight of Joey; just about the time Kaiba rounded the corner.

This time, he did jump in surprise.

"Akira, what-"

"Father, you're done!! I did as you said!! Are you ready to play?" Akira ran up and hugged Kaiba around the waist, interrupting his question. Joey stood up straight and gawked at the state of the library.

"Akira. What have you been doing?" Akira smiled and reached over, hugging Joey around the waist as he stared around at the huge piles of books.

"Reading"

"Were you planning on reading all these?" Joey nodded at the huge stack of books, a little thrown that she had gone through about 30 books in 7 hours time. Akira shook her head and giggled running back to the book she had been reading.

"No silly, Daddy! THESE are all the books I have read!" She motioned to all the books on the floor, Joey's jaw dropping. "THESE are the books I haven't gotten to yet." She motioned to the 30 books left on the shelves. Joey wasn't sure if he liked this or not. "They're mostly advanced math, and since I haven't learned basic, it would be best for me to learn and understand the formula's for such a degree of knowledge before I tried to assess it on my own."

Joey defiantly didn't like this.

"Akira, you should try to speak a little less…"

"Big" Kaiba offered as he weaved his way through the mess, nearly stepping on the empty apple plate. "Akira, what did I say about eating other than in the dining room?"

"Not to." Akira immediately looked ashamed as she fidgeted around. "But Aira, one of the maids, brought them to me."

"Aira?" Kaiba raised a brow at his daughter's statement.

The young girl nodded.

"Wow, what did you guys do all day? Decide to catalogue the library?" Yami and Yugi where standing in the doorway, startling an unaware Joey, as they peered at the mess of literature scrapping across the floor.

"No. Akira's been reading." Joey bit his lip, trying not to feel real awkward about it.

"What? She was planning on reading all of this today?" Yami eyed the huge piles of novels.

"No Tou-san. Those are the books I HAVE read!!" The pharaoh looked like a couple of boulders had fallen on him, rolled off, and then caused an avalanche of small pebbles to bury him under the ground.

"HAVE read?!" Yugi squeaked as he peered over at Kaiba. "Is that what you two did all day? Read?"

"Actually, he worked all day, she read" Joey punched out the words a bit bitterly. He knew Kaiba was busy, he shouldn't be angry, but there was still something twisting his insides.

Akira seemed to sense Joey's angry, slowly pulling away from Kaiba and walking to Joey.

"Daddy, did I do something wrong." She had grabbed the front of his shirt, looking up at him worried. His anger washed away as she stared up at him. Slowly, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her into a tight hug. "No Akira, I'm not mad at you. Reading is perfectly fine and not interrupting your father's work was also very thoughtful of you." Akira's worry melted as she hugged Joey tightly.

Standing up, Joey beckoned for the others to follow him out as he picked up Akira.

"Now, I think it's time to get some dinner and go to bed" Holding Akira close, Joey realized that he hadn't been angry at Kaiba for working all day, he wasn't angry at Yugi or Yami, and he wasn't angry with himself or Akira. What he felt was sadness, disguised as anger. This was just a small display of how inhuman his daughter was, and for a second he hated thinking that.

Akira was his daughter, and more human than he could have imagined.

* * *

After Akira was placed into bed, tucked in, and read a story from the small shelf of books she had in her room, the others had headed off to bed for a much needed rest.

It would have been nice if had been.

Yugi tossed and turned as his dreams twisted and constricted, a small country road visible below his feat. Confused, he glanced around, and was startled to see a young man with jet black hair staring away from Yugi. He was wearing what looked to be a heavy black coat, his hair hanging in his dark eyes as he stared into the black abyss. He looked scary, but Yugi got a deeper sense of calm and kindness seeping through the young man.

Glancing around to see if they were alone, he turned back to the dark haired stranger.

"Excuse me? " The man didn't move, but continued to stare off into space. "Excuse me, sir?"

At that, the young mans eyes flickered onto Yugi for a second, almost confused as he studied Yugi's face, before the man's eyes swung back to the darkness.

"Sir, I know you can hear me." At this, the man looked straight into Yugi's eyes, a pain suddenly shooting through Yugi's chest, causing him to fall to his knees, grasping his chest.

"AHH!!" Wincing, he looked up at the man. The dark eyes were still gazing down at him, tears flowing from the eyes, as the pain in Yugi's chest increased. "Please…. Help me!" Yugi gasped as he grabbed hold of the man's coat.

The young man eyes were flowing with nothing but tears as he stared unmoving at Yugi, the later trying hard not to lose his grip on the dark eyes coat.

Suddenly, the man leaned down pulled Yugi up by his neck, Yugi kicking wildly and grasping the fingers that clutched coldly around his neck.

"You caused her pain!!! You caused her suffering!! And yet, she loves you!!" He reeled and tossed Yugi back, who panted and grasped his neck trying to ease away the pain. The young mans dark eyes pierced Yugi with desperation. "Please forgive her…"

Yugi jerked awake, his eyes scanning the room. Looking down, he saw the other three were sound asleep. Crawling out of bed as gently as possible, Yugi crossed the room and entered the bathroom room. Approaching the sink, the messy haired teen flipped on the facet and splashed his face with cold water. As the water trickled down his chin, he winced and glanced up.

Red finger shaped bruises were forming around Yugi's neck, nearly causing him to freak. Had he done that to himself, or was that the dream? But, Yugi noted as he reached into the medical cupboard for some bandages, if it had been a dream, where had the bruises come from.

He slowly stopped as he wrapped a bandage around his neck.

"You caused her suffering! And yet, she loves you!!"

The words rang through Yugi's head as he slowly crawled back into bed, Kaiba's arm slowly wrapping itself around Yugi's waist as he shifted.

Why did he suddenly feel like the peace was short-lived?

* * *

**LefthandedFreak;** DUN DUN DUN!!

**Dramatic Drummer:** Your putting me out of a job you know?

**LefthandedFreak:** Sorry. So how was it, cool?

**Yugi:** That's a lot of books.

**LefthandedFreak:** (Squeals) I know. I actual think that was a very cute scene. Anyways, I'm sorry if there are any errors in this chapter. I haven't had a chance to reread it and check for the errors. So sorry….

Read and Review please!!


	14. The Promise

**LefthandedFreak:** Hey again everyone!!

**Kaiba:** God, you just won't die!

**LefthandedFreak**: I enjoy living thank you!!... (Starts crying and hugs Yami) AND YOU SHOULD TOO!!

**Joey:** Wow.. Talk about a 180!

**Yami:** Why are you crying?!! (Completely wigging out)

**LefthandedFreak:** I watched the very last episode of Yugioh, and it hurt me SOOOO MUCH!!!

**Yami:** Then don't watch it.

**LefthandedFreak:** YOU DON'T REALLY DIE!!!

**Yami:** mphh!! (Is struggling for air)

**Yugi:** It's fine Leftie… that's why you create situations to how he survives but doesn't remain trapped in the puzzle.

**LefthandedFreak:** (let's Yami go, causing him to collapse) which is what I did!!! I'm so proud of me!!

**Yugi:** (helping Yami breathe) Good for you!! Maybe you should move on to the reviews?

**LefthandedFreak:** Thank you!!

**_Dragonlady222 _**– If Kaiba wasn't heartless sometimes, Yami would be straight!

**Yami:** Huh?!! (Still dazed from stranglehold)

**LefthandedFreak:** I mean that it's not very likely that Kaiba wouldn't be. Oh something will be happening; I'm just trying to figure out how fast I should deliver it. I don't want to rush it, but I also don't want 100 chapters either.

Do you really love my vid?!! It took awhile!!! I'm going to make a couple of other video. A funny one if I can get the clips I want, a sad one if I can get the clips for that too, and I might start up with episodes of a Yugioh parody if the writer will allow me to.

**Kaiba:** Like you could do voice over's

**LefthandedFreak:** I can do a decent you!

**Kaiba**:…..I suddenly feel ashamed.

Enjoy the story, and sorry for any spelling or grammar errors

* * *

.

Green eyes stared curiously into the liquid surface of the mirror, red eyes peering straight back. Akira had awoken to go to the bathroom, and was on her way back from the hall when the red orbs caught sight of her.

At first, she tried to ignore them, to convince her self that what she saw was a hallucination, or perhaps maybe she was day dreaming. That was, until the other girl pressed her forehead to the inside of the glass, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders.

"Akira…." The young girl's lips barely moved as she whispered to the startled child. "Akira", the red lips continued, "…come here…" She was afraid, and she now longed to go to her parent's room, but she felt somehow pulled towards the young girl with long dark hair.

A pale hand stretched out and touched the mirror, the red eyes falling sadly, as the girl in the mirror captivated Akira and drew her closer.

"How… how do you know my name?" Akira stared tentatively back at the young girl in the mirror, eyes not daring to leave her frail form.

"How…. Such a silly question… how.." the red eyes stained Akira's conscious. "I know…. Because I'm with you always…"

Akira cocked her head curiously at the other child.

"With me…. But I don't see you?" The red lips twisted and bit the small red flesh of her lips beneath teeth.

"You don't see me …." The red eyes flickered to the floor. "..Because I can't be seen…" her forehead touched the mirror, as her eyes connected back with the innocent green ones. "I'm so lonely here… there is nothing but coldness…." Akira's finger slid up the mirror, tightly pressed up against the other girls, the glass their only barrier.

"Can't you escape?" the dark haired girls fingers clenched, trying to grasp the others, but failing.

"I try…. But I need something to help me…" her eyes flickered, a small smile gracing her lips. "… Something you can give me…."

Akira was entranced by the other, her hair sliding into her eyes as she leaned closer.

"What do I have that you need?.." the red eyes looked deep into Akira's eyes.

"You have already provided me with one thing….. The most precious treasure of your parents…" Akira peered curiously back.

"treasure?... what do I have that's treasure?" the red eyes only stared back, a smile widening on the frail and delicate features of the girl in the mirror but ignored the others question.

"But it's not enough…. I need something else…." The other girl stepped back and stretched her fingers into the air, a strange mist forming in her palm. "This is the item I need…."

As the smoke twisted, it compacted together and formed the distinguished shape of an upside down pyramid, crack running through it, a weird eye in the center of the figure.

Akira's eyes lit up in wonderment. "What is that?"

The other smiled gently back at the green eyed girl's wonderment.

"It's the Millennium Puzzle, the ancient artifact from an ancient pharaoh known as Atemu". The green eyes looked back into the red as the smoke shape of the puzzle disappeared.

"Atemu? Egypt?... But I don't live in Egypt, and I have no idea-"the other girl shook her head and placed both her hands against the glass, both against Akira's.

"The item is closer than you think….. Talk to your parents….tell them that you heard someone mention it…"

"But that's lying…" Akira bit her lip.

"It is I know…. However, if you don't, how can you help me?..." the red eyed girls eyes brimmed with tears as she leaned closer, almost desperately close to the mirror's surface. "Please….I don't want to be trapped….."

Akira stared back into the red eyed girl, a sudden sadness sweeping through her. She wanted to help this other girl. There was something familiar, and despite how she had frightened her before, she seemed more in pain than a threat.

"Alright…. I'll try to help you…" The other girls tears increased, but a smile graced her lips to suggest something other than sadness.

"Oh thank you so much Akira…. I knew you'd understand…. I promise… once you've freed me… I'll give you something precious…" The other girls legs started to disappear and she looked down and leaned her head against the glass.

"I promise Akira….I'll watch you…till tomorrow night…" The red eyes glowed, her tears turning red as her form disappeared. "Please hurry…"

The others form disappeared in a trail of shimmering light, and Akira was left, her fingers still pressed against the cold surface.

She promised herself that she would help that other girl escape, no matter what.

* * *

Yugi rubbed his eyes groggily as he sat up in the bad, Yami's arm sliding down his stomach slowly. Opening his eyes, he looked about and noticed that the other were still asleep, even Kaiba for a change.

Not feeling the least bit tired, Yugi gently slid out from the center of his love's, and went to dress. He opened his dresser drawer and studied his clothing.

Too flashy.

Too dressy.

Too old.

Too Joey.

His eyes caught on a bunched up pair of clothes underneath his grey coat he had worn during Duke's duel against him. It was an outfit he hadn't worn in awhile, which was a bit awkward for Yugi since he usually wore it a lot, but of course since it wasn't the school season, he hadn't touched it.

We all know the outfit I'm talking about, don't we? You know, the school uniform he wears all the time? Except it's the one with the black shirt, not the buckle black shirt. Enough of this.

Pulling his clothes out of the drawer, he pulled his pajamas off, tossing them into the laundry room in the private bathroom his partners and he shared. He pulled on his pants and shirt, and was about to put the black buckle around his neck, when he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

The bandages.

He had forgotten all about the dream he had last night, but now that he saw the bandages, everything came flooding back. Hesitating, he slowly reached up and pulled the white gauze down from his bruises.

The black and blue fingers stood fresh against his pale skin as he peered at his reflection.

He still wondered if he had done that to himself.

Glancing out at the others, he bit his lip determinedly and pulled the gauze back across the finger marks, painfully adjusting the black collar around is neck, buckling it tight.

He didn't want to worry the others, especially Joey. The blonde had been extremely on edge after the dreams Kaiba had and the little girl Akira had seen. After a week, nothing new had happened, and Kaiba marked the dreams off as a form of stress.

He couldn't explain the visit from the little girl to their daughter, but since it hadn't happened again and security was tighter, Kaiba had felt sure nothing bad was happening.

Yugi left his finger lingering on the edge of his collar as he stared at himself in the mirror. His violet eyes stared back at himself as he chewed on his lip. He'd leave telling them alone unless something else. Sighing, he slowly pulled himself away from the mirror and out of the bedroom, gracing a look at his lovers before he entered the hallway.

* * *

On his way down the hall, he stopped outside Akira's room a opened the door, his eyes falling on her sitting figure in the bed.

Yugi was surprised to see her awake, her eyes focused on the doors and mirror across the room from her bed.

"Akira, what are you doing awake?" The young girl seemed a little startled and she turned and looked up at Yugi.

The look she gave him startled him. It wasn't sweet or innocent, but determined and mature. She reminded him completely of Yami as she looked at Yugi, a smile spreading across her features.

"I couldn't sleep Mommy" Yugi walked in and closed the door behind him gently, heading over and seating at the side of her bed.

"Did something wake you up?" He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, freezing suddenly. He thought he saw her eyes flash a sudden red.

She cocked her head slightly, confusion gracing her startling green eyes.

"I got up to use the bathroom and I feel wide awake now." She stated simply as she stared up at him.

Yugi had just imagined it, he convinced himself.

"I see. Well, do you want to go get breakfast with me?" The little girl smiled, the sweetness reappearing on her face as she nodded, pushing the sheets away from her small frame.

Hopping down from the bed, she walked to her closet and opened the heavy doors, looking up at her clothes.

Yugi got up and followed her, standing behind her as she studied the attire presented to her.

"I want this one mommy!" Akira's pointed gently at a small green and white dress. Smiling, Yugi pulled it down and Akira took it from him.

"I can dress myself now mommy!!! Wait here and I'll show you!!" Akira smiled and ran into a private dressing room Kaiba had decided to add, taking an old closet and converting it into a little small space to change.

Yugi could agree that this would be best, with Mokuba coming home in the next few days. It would probably freak him out if he went into the bathroom and Akira had forgotten to lock the door.

The dressing door squeaked open and Yugi's eyes fell on Akira, who was standing fully clothed but her sleeves sliding off a bit.

"Could you zip me up mommy? I'm having trouble with the zipper" she expressed as she tried to stretch her small arms around her back and pull up the zipper. Yugi smiled at the display of cuteness.

"Alright. Turn around". Akira turned on the spot and pulled her hair in front of her shoulders, giving Yugi a nice view at the zipper. It wasn't just out of reach for Akira, but her constant tugs against the small metal had caused the zipper to catch on her clothes.

"This might take awhile" He said softly as he tried to pull the zipper loose of the clothes without ripping the material.

"Mommy, do you know of something called the Millennium Puzzle?" Akira hadn't moved an inch, her eyes still looking forward.

Yugi stalled on his finger work, and looked at her in surprise.

"Where did you hear about that?" The young green eyes glanced slightly back at him before the focused back to the front.

"Someone said something about it…"

Yugi peered at the back of her head. It seemed a little far fetched that she would have heard about it from one of the maids, and Yami stopped wearing it about a year ago.

The puzzle brought both good and bad memories back, the good being how Yugi and Yami had met and all there fights they had together.

And the bad times when Yami had to walk through the doors to the soul world, in order to not stay trapped in the depths of the puzzle for another 5,000 years. Yugi had wiped his eyes at this moment and bid the spirit of the pharaoh, Atemu, goodbye to never see him again until death.

He hadn't been counting on the puzzle appearing in his room one day when he had returned home from school, having thought it had been destroyed with the other items.

And when he picked it up, Yami appeared again, but this time, the puzzle hung from his neck as he smiled back at Yugi.

They never did figure out what exactly had happened, the magic of the puzzle seemed to have disappeared after Yami reappeared. Yami had no memory of his visit to the afterworld, but said he was happy to be able to live out his life back with his new friends he had made in the future, though sometimes he looked a little down.

Yugi couldn't blame him. They had both wondered if maybe something had gone wrong and that maybe Yami and Yugi were deemed unworthy to be apart, and Yami was stuck for another 5,000 years.

After a few weeks, Yugi finally got a hold of Ishizu in desperation to find out what was going on.

She admitted that she too was very surprised, and flew down immediately from Egypt with Merick and Odeon to find out what the cause of this sudden reappearance was.

After studying the puzzle, she concurred that since the pharaoh had his own body, he was no longer bonded to the inner tomb of the millennium item, and if Yugi and Yami wanted to, they could destroy it.

Yami however, felt a little too attached to the trinket, and kept it around for another year, wearing it out of force of habit. He finally removed it one day and hung it from a hook in the ceiling, so it was visible to anyone that came into the room that Yugi and he had to share.

And there was Grandpa who nearly had a heart attack on the fact that not only was the pharaoh back, but now he had another mouth to feed.

Then when Yugi and Yami decided to move in with Kaiba, Yami had reached up and taken the puzzle down from its hook and took it with them. Kaiba could see a bit on the importance of the item, and suggested on putting it in the room where they kept their duel monster cards.

Akira was staring at her mother, as Yugi looked back at her, pulled from his thoughts.

"Well, it's a necklace, in a way, that Yami holds really dear to him. It's what helped bring him and me together." He pated her head gently as he stood up.

"Where is it now?" the green eyes blinked curiously at Yugi as she followed him out of the bedroom and down the hall to the stairs.

Yugi looked at her a little curiously.

"It's in the duel monsters room we have, where we keep all of our cards at. Yami hung it there."

"Why did he do that? Will that confuse burglars?" Yugi smiled down at Akira's confused look.

"No… but it means a lot to us. If you'd like, I'll ask Yami to tell you the story behind it…. Though… why are you so interested?"

Akira's eyes quickly diverted to the floor, her hand reaching up and grabbing Yugi's, squeezing his fingers gently.

"I'm just curious is all…"

Yugi stared at her for a minute before stopping her on the stairs, bending down in front of her.

"Akira, is there something you'd like to tell me?" The young girls eyes glanced guiltily back at Yugi before they reverted to the carpeted stairs again.

"No mommy…" Yugi took her chin gently with his fingers, tilting her eyes to look at him.

"Akira, if something wrong, you need to tell me." She bit her lip and shook her head.

"It's not something wrong Mommy. That's not it." Yugi knew that she was lying, but he reached up and pulled her into a hug.

"Alright Akira…. But remember, you can always tell me what it is at anytime… I'll always listen." The young girl stood still for a few seconds before he felt her arms stretch up and hug him back, her face snuggling into his neck.

"I know mommy…" Yugi smiled and pulled away gently before he stood up again and took her hand softly.

She peeked back up at him, a small smile gracing her lips as she squeezed his fingers.

"Let's go eat, love"

* * *

Akira was through a her first bowl of cereal and working on her second, her appetite rivaling Joey's, and Yugi was just starting to eat some toast and eggs the cook he had fixed for himself, when the blonde himself walked into the dining room.

"Hi Daddy!" Akira smiled, forcing a spoonful of cereal down her throat as she waved her greeting. Joey smiled and hugged her from behind as he walked by, causing the young girl to giggle as she continued to eat.

'Hey Yugi, breaking out the old outfit I see." Yugi tried to respond with a mouth full of toast, but didn't try to reply as Joey leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, a small blush on appearing on the others cheeks. Joey smiled as his arms wrapped around Yugi's figure from the chair, peering down at the other.

Yugi swallowed his violet eyes still on Joey.

"I haven't worn it in awhile and I felt that maybe it was time to break it out again". Joey smiled before placing a gentle kiss on the others soft lips.

"I like when that. You actually make it look good" his breath against Yugi's lips as Joey whispered made him shiver.

"Ahem"

They both looked across the room at the door where Yami and Kaiba stood, Yami flushed from what appeared to be a lack of affection from the other too, and Kaiba with his arms folded on his chest.

"I hope you two aren't going to start something at the table" he stated, his head jerking towards Akira, who was graciously watching the two as she ate her cereal.

Joey smiled and hugged Yugi gently before he stood up all the way.

"Even if I did, Seto, I wouldn't continue it here." The brunette scowled a bit as the blonde laughed, plopping next to Yugi who was still a nice shade of pink.

Yami wrapped his arms across Kaiba's neck and pouted at the other two.

"And what about us? No love?" Yugi's shoved more toast In his mouth to prevent himself from talking.

Joey shook his head.

"Yami, when would I ever decide to neglect you?" Joey stated, gesturing to the late pharaoh to 'get over there' if he wanted a kiss too. Yami kissed Kaiba's cheek before he slid away from the taller and made his way over to Joey.

Leaning down, he met Joey halfway, and they kissed deeply, Yugi stuffing in as much toast as he could in his mouth, while Kaiba covered Akira's eyes to prevent her from catching tongue action.

"I think I like that for breakfast" Yami breathed as he pulled away slowly. Joey smiled and kissed the pharaoh's forehead.

"Maybe you can have the same thing tomorrow if you like it so much" Yami had adopted his devilish look, before Kaiba's sigh interrupted them.

"I love you both too, and as much as I hate to interrupt the cloud of love surrounding your end of the table, there probably one person who would enjoy being able to see again" Kaiba stated as he nodded down at their daughter.

She had completely ignored the fact that his hand was in front of her eyes and had tried to continue to eat her cereal without looking, causing a few drops of milk to spill down her front.

It was, to say the least, adorably cute!!

Joey smiled and turned his attention back to his cereal; Yami at least satisfied with the kiss and plopped down in his usual spot across from Akira.

"Alright Seto." Joey nodded as he poured himself some cereal.

Kaiba removed his hand from away Akira's green eyes, and she blinked a bit from the sudden brightness.

She smiled back up at Kaiba as he took a napkin and wiped down her front.

"Thank you Father!"

Kaiba nodded and sat down next to Akira, looking at the empty toast plate. Glancing over, he saw Yugi eyeing Yami and Joey, the last piece of toast hanging from his mouth.

Sighing, he reached over and pulled Yugi's face towards his own, Joey's hand covering Akira's eyes that time.

He leaned in and bit the half of toast that was hanging from Yugi's lips away, causing the other to jump in surprise. Leaning back, Kaiba reached up and bit off the small piece from the toast he had stolen.

Joey didn't blink away from his breakfast as he slid his fingers away from Akira's eyes. That time, she didn't try to eat, and only continued once Joey's hands were back at his plate. Her eyes fixed on Kaiba.

"Wow Father, you conjured toast without using the toaster!"

If it was humanly possible, Yugi turned ten times redder, as Kaiba drank his coffee passively.

"Imagine that. It's amazing what I can conjure without trying"

Yami and Joey burst into laughter, Akira looking confused between the two, Yugi sliding in his chair, a mouthful of toast.

"I don't get it" Akira pouted, as she watched Yugi trying to disappear from sight under the table.

"Don't worry honey" Joey smiled as he leaned over and ruffled her hair. "You're a little too young to understand."

Kaiba just smiled as he slid his leg against Yugi's.

"MMPH!!!"

And it was the beginning of another normal day in the Kaiba household.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** And here's where I stop for now. Actually, I wasn't quite ready to stop, and probably would have continued, but it's late, and I have work tomorrow. I will reveal the reason Yami was able to come back. I actually got the idea from the comic itself.

**Kaiba:** You did research?

**LefthandedFreak:** Yeap! Anyways, Read and Review Everyone!!


	15. Blood on her Hands

**LefthandedFreak:** Oh boy, it sure has been awhile

**Kaiba:** You start, you stop for 2 years, you start, you start 6 months, you stop, you die, you never start again...

**LefthandedFreak:** HEY!! (whacks him with fish) Yea, anyways, sorry!! I actually had this chapter finsihed months ago....but then my computer crashed, and then my microsoft office went out of service, and then college started....so....been really busy, but I refuse to chuck this story!!! I must finish it!! So I completely rewrote the chapter (my computer is away in neverland) and here it is!

**Kaiba:** (reading the chapter).....What the he-

**LefthandedFreak:** (slaps again with fish) NO SPOILING!! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!! I'm sorry for spelling and grammar errors (I haven't the time to recheck) so please be patient. Thank you!!

* * *

After breakfast was over, Kaiba bid his adieu to the others, ruffling Akira's hair as she hugged him goodbye, before heading up the stairs to his private office to begin his work for the day

After breakfast was over, Kaiba bid his adieu to the others, ruffling Akira's hair as she hugged him goodbye, before heading up the stairs to his private office to begin his work for the day. He hadn't planned to stay at home, but because Mokuba was coming home soon, and the amount of work he had to do to prepare for his little brothers reappearance, along with actual work, it was a lot simpler to conduct everything from his office upstairs.

This left the rest of the adorable family moving into the living room after breakfast had been finished.

"Father should play with us later!" the bright green eyes of Akira danced about as she pulled her daddy into the room as best she could. Joey smiled down at Akira as she tugged on his hand gently, dragging him over to the couch so he would sit down and then she could lie on his lap.

This day was definitely a lazy day, where they would more than likely spend the day not working, having fun, and playing with Akira as she ran about, a beautiful smile gracing her face.

It's what Joey loved the most about their little girl.

As the blonde sat down, Akira crawled up beside him and leaned her head onto his shoulder, a small smile gracing her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugging him gently.

"I love you, daddy!" Joey smiled as he returned the hug with the arm she was leaning against and held her close.

"I love you to Akira, my beautiful daughter" He kissed the top of her head as she giggled and sat back, a bright smile gracing her lips.

"What about us Akira?" Yugi slowly sat on the opposite side of Akira, a hairbrush grasped in his fingers, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched the gentle show of affection.

The bright green eyes and gentle smile faced him, and before Yugi knew it, Akira's arms were wrapped around his waist and she hugged him tightly.

"Of course I love you Mommy!! And I love Tou-san and Father too!"

Yami smiled as he sat on the arm of the couch behind Joey, wrapping his arms gently around the blonde's neck as they both watched Yugi gently push Akira away and brandished the hairbrush.

"We know Akira. And we love you just as much" the multicolored man leaned forward and kissed his little girls head. "However, I'm not loving these tangles as much…"

Akira giggled before she turned around facing Joey and Yami, as the hairbrush gently descended into her hair, Yugi fingers gently following the strokes to prevent causing any pain from befalling his little angel.

As Yugi started brushing her hair, Akira reached over and ruffled Joey's hair softly, giggling as he smiled and pulled her hand out of his hair gently. As he looked down at her, he noticed her eyes flicker onto Yami, and her eyes flashed from a gentle playful green, to a sudden shy bashful look.

Yami had also noticed the sudden change in playfulness as her eyes had landed on him.

Joey reached over and ran his fingers lightly across her cheek, fingertips pushing her bangs away from her green orbs, pulling her gaze onto his own brown eyes.

"Is there something wrong sweetie?" Akira's gaze flickered onto Yami again before returning to Joey.

Yugi had stopped brushing her hair as he watched the confrontation. It was clear that Akira had remembered the conversation that he had held with her earlier about the millennium puzzle, and was debating on whether or not to broach the subject with her Tou-san.

"You know, if there's something bothering you, you can tell us", Yugi whispered as he gently patted her head.

Akira seemed to grab hold of her nerves and her eyes brimmed with determination as she looked a finally held her gaze with Yami.

"Tou-san, would you please tell me about the millennium puzzle?"

Yami looked a little taken aback, and so did Joey, by this question.

"I mentioned it to her earlier and she got a bit curious", Yugi said as quickly came to the rescue.

He knew that Akira just hearing about the puzzle from a maid wouldn't convince them, it didn't really convince him onto how she had heard about the puzzle, but he also knew that it really wouldn't hurt on telling her about it.

Yami and Joey both seemed satisfied with this excuse, especially Yami who, even though he didn't wear it anymore, and really didn't seem to hold a second thought for it, he was still pretty fond of the item.

"Well…" Yami said leaning slightly against the couch as he sat on the arm, "what is it you'd like to know about it?"

Akira eyes brightened "Everything!"

Yami chuckled lightly at her and rubbed the back of his head.

"That might take a long time", he teased, but smiled at her as she looked even more eager.

"I don't mind", Akira's eyes sparkled, "I could listen all day"!

Yami smiled and pulled a face, as though he were deciding on if he actually wanted to spend an entire day discussing the puzzle.

"Oh, you can enlighten her." Joey smiled down at Akira as he ruffled her neatly brushed hair, getting a glare from Yugi who wasn't too pleased that his work was being destroyed by Joey's hands.

Yami smiled at the sight of affection.

"Alright, I'll enlighten her. In fact, if you'd like, I could show you the puzzle too!" Akira nearly bolted in to Yami's arms, causing the surprised but cheerful pharaoh to brace himself on the couch's arm to prevent them from falling off.

"Really?! Oh thank you Tou-san!!" Akira was hugging Yami tightly across the waist as he stood up and pushing her gently away with a smile.

"You're welcome. Now come with me, and I'll tell you everything". Akira grabbed Yami's hand as she stood up from the couch, pulling him towards the door as he started telling her the story.

"This story starts off 5,000 years ago, with a pharaoh who lived in ancient Egypt….."

Yami's voice trailed off as Yugi and Joey were left on the couch, staring at the doorframe were the two had just left the room for upstairs.

"I hope he doesn't bore her" Yugi chuckled as he continued to stare at the doorframe.

Joey leaned forward, he lips gently moving against Yugi ear.

"Have you forgotten about the library incident? I'm sure she'll be fine…. Besides, it's you who should be worried…"

Yugi shivered as he felt something wet and warm slide up his neck slowly, his breathe hitching as he felt Joey nibble on his ear.

"Ah… and why would that be?" Yugi was trying his best to remain calm, but he felt heat rise to his checks as he felt Joey's warm lips suck on his skin, causing him to moan in pleasure.

"Because sometimes when people are bored…", Joey nibbled Yugi shoulder, gaining another moan of appreciation from his petite lover, "they find more interesting things to do with their time…."

* * *

"And that is basically everything there is to know about the millennium puzzle" Yami concluded as he held Akira close.

They had come to the duel room, as Joey had dubbed it, since it was the place were all the cards had been cased in class shelves and where they would go if they had ever wanted to go a round in duel monsters.

In the center of the room, was a class case that housed the millennium puzzle as it hung in the middle of the glass that surrounded it, its long rope supported by a hook in the ceiling.

Akira had a hard time looking at the puzzle from a standing position on the ground, and with a couple of tugs on her Tou-san's shirt, found herself in his arms with a better view of the golden upside down pyramid.

"It looks so small for something that you lived in, Tou-san" Akira crooned as she studied the item, leaning slightly from Yami and placing her hands on the glass to support her upper body.

Yami laughed at her words.

"It was my spirit that was trapped in it, not my body. You could say, it looks a lot bigger from the inside".

Akira's expression didn't change as she pressed her forehead against the glass, her eyes raking the item with adoration. It was on of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, that she almost forgot why she had even wanted to see it in the first place, feeling that the only reason she could have possibly been there was because she had always known that it was beautiful and a site to see.

"Tou-san, could you take it out of the case?" Her green eyes glittered up at Yami as she glanced back at him, her question hanging in the air.

"What for Akira?" Yami cocked his head to the side slightly as he looked curiously at her.

"I want to see what it feels like! It's so pretty!" Yami smiled and nudged Akira back into his arms fully, as he pulled her close to his chest.

"I'm sorry honey, but no. I don't want it to get accidentally dropped and broken. It would take a month of Sunday's to put back together….maybe later?"

But Akira had stilled in his arms as he had spoke, her bangs falling in her eyes as she seemed to look downcast at his news.

"Aki-" Yami's eyes widened as Akira's hands moved like lightning and grasped his should, managing to shove him back and send them both sliding across the floor, Akira's hands still holding tightly onto Yami's shoulders.

"Akira, what are y-" Yami froze again as Akira looked up at him, her eyes a dark crimson.

"Why can't I see it, Tou-san?" Her nails dug tightly into Yami's shoulders, causing him to wince in pain before she shoved his back against the glass paneled counter's base behind him.

Yami eyes widened with fear as Akira straddled his waist with her legs as he sat leaning against the now cracked glass of the counters base, her nails drawing blood from his shoulders as she held him tightly.

"Akira! S…Stop!" Yami was frightened, not for himself at least, but for what Akira was doing. It didn't even seem to be the same girl anymore, the crimson gaze peering steely into his own, a yelp managing from his lips as her nails dragged down, causing long thin cuts of crimson to pool from his shoulders as she leaned farther in.

His breath hitched as her eyelids fluttered slightly, and he realized just how dangerously close her face was to his. Her lips gently tickled his own as she spoke, her eyes freezing him on the spot.

"You didn't say that before…." One of her bloody hands slid up and caressed Yami's cheek, holding him into place as he tried to pry her off and lean away from her.

"Wha-" Yami was cut off once again by nails digging into his face this time, earning a yell to tear from his lips as more of his blood soaked his skin.

"Just let me have the puzzle and I'll stop. All I want is the puzzle….and I'll do whatever you want" Her lips teased the skin on his lips, as she licked at he blood that streamed from his face.

"AKIRA STOP!!" Yami managed to reach up and grab Akira's face roughly, pushing her back.

Maybe it was the force of the grip, or maybe it was because he had yelled at her in a way that would make anyone's blood curdle, but Akira eyes snapped back to a surprised green, Yami holding her away from his body.

"T…Tou-san?...." Akira seemed confused and lost for a few minutes, and then scarred and worried the next.

Her hands immediately reached for Yami's face, fear obviously etched upon her face.

"Tou-san! What happened?!! Who did this-" But Akira's voice stopped mid sentence.

Her hands.

Her hands were covered in blood, skin hanging from some of her nails.

Why?

Why was there blood on her hands?

* * *

Joey and Yugi had been wrenched from a passionate kiss when they had heard a high pitched terrified scream from upstairs.

Joey was the first one up and running, seeing as he had been on top of Yugi, and was glad that they hadn't gotten too far along in their proceedings before the yell had occurred.

The scream had scent a chill through his body, the voice clearly belonging to their daughter, and neither him, nor Yugi who was running shortly behind him, had wasted time on arriving to the duel room.

Arriving, they found Kaiba in the doorway, staring into the room in surpise and what he was seeing.

"Seto, is everything al-" Joey stopped short as he had closed in on the brunette and his eyes focused on the event inside.

Blood was flowing down Yami chest and face as he held Akira tightly, rocking her back in forth in a soothing manner.

Her own hand were covered in blood in her face was buried between her fingers as she cried miserably.

Joey wasted no time in bolting past Kaiba and ran over to the two.

"Yami! Akira!" Joey knelt before the two, Yami's eyes colliding with his own fear stained ones, before he glanced down at their daughter.

"Are you two alright?! What happened?! Who did this to you?!" The last question was more or less aimed at Yami, his cuts quite visible, but since Akira was curled in on her self, it was more difficult to tell if she was ok.

"..I…" Akira sniffled heavily as she continued to sob into her hands.

Joey gently pulled her away from Yami, as Kaiba had finally entered the scene and pulled Yami away from behind.

"Shh…" Joey gently held Akira close. "It's alright now, you're safe"

Akira hadn't seemed to hear a word he had said as she sobbed on, trying to find her voice.

"These cuts look like scratches….. Whoever did this was pretty angry and strong to have held Yami down" Kaiba was studying Yami's face, and Yugi approached quickly, a medical box in his hands. He had left when he had seen the blood and probably was the most intelligent to get the kit.

But Yami's eyes weren't focused on the two's unfaltering attention to his face and shoulders, but more or less on Akira. Kaiba turned from the older man and looked over at Akira, as Joey tried to calm her down.

Leaving Yugi to tend to Yami's cuts, Kaiba slid over to the two.

"I…h…h…hurt…." Akira heaved out before her voice hitched again, as she continued to sob.

Kaiba quickly started to study her features as Joey quickly pulled away to make her face him, tilting her sobbing features to look into his own.

"Where Akira? Tell me where it hurts…we'll get you looked at… and then we'll find out who did this.." Akira's green sad eyes stayed on Joey as Kaiba continued to check for cuts on his young daughter.

"I….h…hurt….-"

"Joey….there's blood under her nails…." Kaiba noted as he studied the lithe girls hands.

"…I…h…hur…hurt…to…tou-'

"..and skin…that's not hers…"Kaiba stated, mortified as he pulled a bit of skin that was hanging from her nails away. Joey's eyes glanced disbelieving at what Kaiba held before he slowly looked back at Akira.

Her pale face and sad eyes grasped madly onto Joey.

"Tou-san…"

Akira had only needed to look at her fathers cuts, the look of fear and surprise on his face, and the blood on her own hands to figure out what had happened.

**LefthandedFreak:** BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

**Joey: **What is WRONG with you?!!

**Yami:** What happened...(flinches as he reads the chapter) OWWWWW!! Why me?!

**Joey:** Screw you, why Akira?!!

**Yami:** HEY!

**LefthandedFreak:** I don't feel like telling you.....

**Joey:** I outghta- (is suddenly sent flying through a wall due to a giant fish flying out of nowhere)

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyways, Read and Review!! Tell me what you think!!


	16. I'm Not Broken

**LefthandedFreak:** Wow!! I have one old reader who's still reading!!! Thank you dragonlady222!!! I feel bad now for dropping this for so long!!

**JFM:** you shouldn't. It sucks.

**LefthandedFreak:** (whacks him with frying pan) Anyways!! Here you go!! A lot sooner than six months and hopefully pleasing. It was a little complicated working on this chapter, cause I wanted it to be beleivable, not rushed, and yet going further than I would have naturally written it. It's all being worked out for the next two chapters, which will lead to some big revelations to come!!

**Kaiba:** I can't beleive she took the time to think this through...

**LefthandedFreak:** (glares) anywho, I hope you enjoy. Sorry for any misspelled words or incorrect grammar usage. I hope it doesn't kill you. ENJOY!!

* * *

Akira was having a hard time figuring out where she was.

She remembered her father leaning forward and whispering something in her ear before she blacked out.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on what looked to be a hospital bed, with wires stretching from her body to some sort of monitor.

Sitting up a little to adjust, she noticed that she was in her father's workshop in the basement of the house, the cold metal walls giving off an unpleasant feeling throughout the room.

Why was she here? She remembered being with her Tou-san and then all three of her parents were with her before her father whispered something….and now she was here….

"Are you feeling better?"

Akira's head jerked to the right to find Aira sitting in a chair beside her bed.

She hadn't noticed the kind woman earlier, probably because she was busy trying to figure out why she was there, so she was a little taken aback by the soft features of the lady.

"W…What happened?" A small whisper passed between Akira's lips as she looked into the kind eyes of the maid she liked.

"Do you really want to know?" The words surprised the green eyed girl as the maid looked down at her, a serious expression etched on her lovely face.

Akira hesitated, catching the warning in the look, before she responded.

"….yes…please…"

Aira frowned slightly as she took one of Akira's hands into her own and brought it to her lips, closing her eyes.

Akira suddenly remembered the sight of blood and the feeling of wet warmth sliding between her fingers as the maid kept her hand gently pressed to her lips.

She saw her Tou-san's scared eyes on hers as his face dripped red crimson onto her hands, her parents fussing over her and Yami, and the awful realization that she had hurt her Tou-san.

"NOOO!" Akira jerked her hand away and shoved Aira back away from her as she buried her face in her hands, horror etched on her features as she remembered what horrible things she had done.

She wanted to cry again, but fear was overriding her sadness, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with her. If, maybe she was defective.

Maybe that's why she was here, hooked up like a common machine.

Because Father thought her as being defective and in other words, dangerous.

"He doesn't…. don't think that…" Akira started as she jerked her eyes onto Aira.

Again, she had forgotten the maids' presence over her own grief and horror, and was surprised to see Aira looking at her with a sad expression.

"Ho…How do you know? He probably hates me now! He-" Akira stopped herself as she realized something. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Aira stared at Akira for a moment, before she leaned forward and touched her forehead to Akira's own.

"You were close to the puzzle…. Because of that, you became vulnerable…. Making you a much easier target for spirits to connect to… those that mean you no harm and those that do…"

Aira's eyes opened and connected with Akira's large green one's, which were fixated on the maid.

"Are you a spirit?" Akira's voice was barely audible as she continued to stare into the young woman's face.

"In a way….I am half a soul… I was at rest, to sleep forever behind the door, but another part of me, a part that I had put away long ago, broke free…. Seeking something that I do not wish for anymore…. I left to stop that part from succeeding, but I guess you could say, I have underestimated myself…." Aira's voice drifted off as her head slid from Akira's forehead to her shoulder, her hand coming up to stroke the young girls hair gently.

"I can only fight the other part of my soul for so much longer… before she destroys me completely, and locks me away for good….I fear for you then, Akira…" Her fingers clenched Akira's colorful locks gently before Aira pulled away, tears running down her face.

Akira reached forward, her own trouble forgotten, as she touched the tears that were running down the kind lady's cheeks.

The brown eyed woman didn't pull away, but instead touched her own hand to that of Akira's, holding it to her face gently.

The green eyed girl noticed then the bandages that went up one of the Aira's arms. It stretched from the tip of her fingers and stretched to the underneath of her top. By the way some of the bandages wrapped around her neck, she knew the damage went pretty far.

"Are you hurt?" Akira asked calmly as she touched the bandages gently.

Brown eyes glanced down before looking back up.

"These are the marks of my death…. They are the spots most affected by my other self…the spots she attacks first to destroy" Her pale fingers reached behind her hair and pulled at the bandage on her neck, letting it flutter down and drape across her shoulders.

Akira jerked away in surprise.

Part of Aira's neck had seemingly disappeared, as Akira peered at the wall through Aira's body, and the damage didn't seem to stop there.

Akira was sure that if all the bandages were removed, she would find herself talking to half a person.

Although this notion was fearful in itself, she couldn't force herself to jerk away and out of the kind woman's reach as Aira's fingers stroked the young girl's locks gently.

The kind woman glanced back at a wall before she looked back at Akira, a sad smile on her face as she leaned forward and kissed the young child on the forehead.

"Your father is coming… and I've reached my limit for the moment….I will hopefully see you again…" Akira noticed how it seemed to become harder to breath for the older woman as she spoke. "Be brave Akira… just remember, what you did wasn't you….you are not defective….let no one tell you otherwise…"

The loud screech of the wall opening distracted Akira, her gaze shifting to the door to see her father and daddy walking in, and as she looked back, Aira was gone.

Seto sat down in the chair next to his daughter, her eyes fixing on him, her expression full of fear and worry, Joey kneeling beside him and reaching forward, touching his daughters' face.

"How are you feeling, sweetie? Better?" Seto didn't scoff the blonde, but stared just as concerned back at Akira.

He had run every test imaginable, to figure out what had happened, but there was nothing wrong with her systems.

So he pulled the video card he had placed in her to record everything she did and watched it. But when it came to her looking back at Yami, who was currently explaining why she couldn't hold the puzzle, the tape seemed to hit interference and didn't boot back up until Akira was in front of Yami, his face covered in blood and fear etched on his face.

Kaiba had discussed his findings with the others, and after Yami recounted all that happened in the game room, Yugi confessed with news that he had a dream a couple of nights ago to which, when he woke up, he had bruises around his neck.

He hadn't said anything because he didn't want to frighten the others, but seeing as to how they couldn't explain Akira's sudden violent behavior, he had recounted the event.

Eventually, despite Seto's own technical judgment that there must have been a glitch with her programming, he agreed with the others that something else was going on that involved Akira.

Besides, Kaiba couldn't stand the thought of clumping his daughter, someone he had started to view as human after these past few weeks, with common mill machines.

As his mind sorted through the jumble of ideas that passed through his mind, Seto watched as Akira seemed to flinch from Joey's hand, sadness and fear etched on her features.

It was clear that she thought badly of herself, thinking that her parents had come to deliver some sort of punishment for her deeds earlier, making her unsure of how to take her daddy's tender touch and gentle words.

Joey frowned slightly as he noticed her flinch, dropping his hands to wrap around her small fingers in her lap gently.

"Akira…it's alright. We're not mad at you…It wasn't your fault" The green eyed child lunged at him suddenly, burying her face in his chest and let out shuddering gasps of sadness.

Seto had flinched for a second, as he saw her lunge at Joey, but the blonde hadn't thought that anything bad would befall him as he pulled the young girl closer to him.

Now that Seto thought about it, he felt bad himself for thinking twice about Akira, but then again, he still remembered the attack on Yami and noted that if it had happened to him, it could happen to any one of them, at any time.

Still, he reckoned that he still shouldn't push her away like some sort of disease, as he watched her cling onto Joey, seemingly afraid to let go.

"I'm sorry Daddy!" Akira cried into her Daddy's shirt, her face jerking up to stare at him. "I…I don't know why!"

"Shh shhh shhh…" Joey cooed as he pulled Akira back into a loving hug. "It's alright honey. We believe you. It's going to be alright."

Akira shook her head and pulled back, staring at both her parents before she plowed on. "I haven't been honest…" Seto looked slightly surprised by this, but Joey didn't catch it.

" I didn't hear about the puzzle from Mommy, or even from a maid….it was the girl, she wanted the puzzle" Akira grasped Joey's shirt tightly as she spoke.

"The girl?" Joey faltered, confused but Kaiba understood.

"The girl she saw all those nights ago. The one she said that scared her".

Akira slowly nodded as she bit her lip, her forehead lying against her Daddy's chest.

Kaiba watched her silently, before he reached forward and touched the side of her face, causing her to look at him, a mix of emotions swirling through her eyes.

"Was that the first time she reappeared to you?" Akira nodded at her father's question. "Why didn't you tell one of us? Did she threaten you?"

"No" Akira stated firmly, before she looked apologetically at her father and spoke softly, "No... She said she was trapped, that she needed help. I felt bad for her, seeing her cry so much, and she said that all she needed to set herself free was the puzzle…so… so I told her I would help her…" she clenched her daddy's shirt tightly and stared up at him desperately. "Please…please don't be mad at me….I only wanted to help her"

Joey wrapped his warm arms around his daughter and pulled her tighter to his chest. She looked surprised for a few seconds before she closed her eyes, gripping his shirts sleeve with her fingers.

"It's alright honey….I probably would have felt the same way too."

Akira stiffened in Joey's arms briefly, her face buried in his chest, drowning the words she tried to speak as she held onto her Daddy tightly.

"I can't hear you silly when your face is buried, sweetie" Joey stated, smiling down at his daughter.

Akira's face shifted away from Kaiba's view, her eyes to the wall as she spoke.

"I know…you're so kind…." Her face shifted back into Joey's shirt as he held her, a slight bit surprised by her words.

Kaiba, despite enjoying the site of his daughter calming down, still wanted to know more about this mysterious girl. Gently reaching forward, he touched Akira's head, causing her eyes to peak out from the fabric of Joey's shirt and focus on him.

"Akira, that girl that visits you? Do you see how she goes home?" Colored locks shifted left and right as she shook her head. "Do you see her arrive? How does she get on the balcony?"

Akira stared up at her father. "She doesn't stand on the balcony, or talk to me from the window. She's in the mirror….she's what I see when I look in the mirror…."

Joey pushed Akira back gently, allowing her to sit back on her knees, as she looked from one of her parents to the other.

"In the mirror? How can someone be in a mirror?" Kaiba questioned his private thought aloud.

"Well, Yami lived in a puzzle for thousands of years, I guess it wouldn't be too far fetched to have someone trapped in a mirror…"Joey glanced back at Akira, as she listened to them. "Akira, is that the only mirror you've seen her in?"

Akira thought for a second and then nodded.

"Yes. I've never seen her anywhere else, just the mirror in my bedroom."

Joey seemed to come to a speedy conclusion at this news.

"Well, let's move the mirror from her room. I feel bad for not helping this girl, but seeing as all this weird behavior started after Akira saw this girl, and then the….situation awhile ago", Joey was going to say 'attack on Yami' but felt it would be too insensitive to Akira's already fragile state, "it only seems wise to move it till we figure out who the girl is and how she got in the mirror."

Kaiba eyed Joey for a bit, and then thought it over. It seemed ridiculous, having someone trapped in a piece of glass that he bought from a department store, but then again, he did see some reasoning behind the idea.

If she had only seem the girl through that mirror, then maybe it would be better to move it, besides it wouldn't hurt anyone to situate it somewhere else, until they figured everything out.

But something still bothered the dark haired CEO.

"That still doesn't explain the incident from earlier." Kaiba turned to Akira, noticing her flinch slightly, before he spoke. "Akira, do you remember what happened when…Yami got hurt? Do you know why your systems might have malfunction-"

"I'm not broken!" Akira interrupted, her eyes burning desperately into her father's. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

Kaiba was slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, but stilled as she continued.

"I got too close to the puzzle….it's purpose was to channel a spirit into another person's body, so when I got near it, I became a target for whatever took control of me. I don't know who took over or why, but I'm sure that's what happened!"

Joey glanced from his lover to his daughter, her eyes pleading with her father to believe her, but Seto looked curious instead of satisfied with this.

"Why are you so sure? If you don't remember what happened, how can you know that? I'm not trying to belittle your intelligence, Akira, but you're making no sense"

Her body shook slightly at his words as she drew in a shuddering breath, her gaze aligned with her fingers in her lap.

"Because that's what Aira told me. She seems to know what happened and she wouldn't lie to me…"

Seto seemed a little surprised again before he touched his daughters check gently.

"When have you seen Aira last?"

Akira bit her lip as she responded. "Today… she told me that this wasn't my fault….that the puzzle put me in a position for spirits to control me easier" Joey tensed up at this news. Seeing as how Yami would take control of Yugi, especially in the beginning when Yugi didn't realize it, it didn't seem to far fetched to him that the reason why Akira attacked Yami wasn't because of a weird computer glitch, but because it really wasn't Akira at all, but someone else using her body.

Kaiba seemed to be chewing on the inside of his mouth, a habit that Joey had never seen the brown haired CEO to do, as he thought something over.

Seeing how aggravated Kaiba was getting, and how worked up Akira was becoming from trying to explain everything, Joey decided to but in. Besides, now that they knew of a servant who seemed to know what was going on, Akira could go home free.

"That's enough for now Akira." He glanced at Seto, receiving a reproachful look, but nothing other than that as he continued. "You stay here Akira and rest. Afterwards, you can go back to your room and we'll have moved the mirror by then, so don't worry. We'll discuss more on this matter later, alright?" leaning down, he brushed his lips against her forehead, causing the young girl to smile up at him.

"Alright daddy…" Akira hugged Joey before turning to Seto and bestowing him with the same gift. Seto stood up after the hug and patted his daughter head gently before he turned and left with Joey.

"It's very cruel of them-" Akira started and looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice that filled her ears.

"Who-?"

"-to try and get rid of me like that-" Akira's eyes shifted and landed on the metal paneling of the wall near her.

"but you're different, my little Akira-" red eyes peered at Akira from the metal surface, tears streaking down her face and swirled with crimson blood as it dripped from her ivory cheeks, "-so much different from them…that's why your the only one who can help me"

Akira's eyes widened as her reflection smiled, her arms stretching towards her.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** Not exactly how I intended it to end, but what the hay...

**JFM:** (in a haystack) huh?

**LefthandedFreak:** Anyway, hopefully the next two chapters will be better written than this, and then I'll start on the chapters I've been working on the HARDEST to figure out how everything is going to end up. Hope you enjoy!!

**Kaiba: **Run while you still can, you pitiful fools!

**LefthandedFreak:** (beats him with frying pan) READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!


	17. Dark Intentions

**LefthandedFreak:** Wow, this story really is addicting. That in no way means that it'll be over soon.

**JFM:** If you know what's good for you, it will be.

**LefthandedFreak: ***kicks him through the wall* Anyhoo, I'm soooo happy!!! Two of my original reviewers have commented!!!

_Dragonlady222_

No it really wasn't. I will eventually explain everything, cause it kind of gets a bit confusing I think in this chapter. I'm still fiddling with giving this a happy ending or not.... I probably will because I like stories that end on good notes, but eh, I might change my mind.

**JFM:**She's done it none stop since writing this bloody fic.

_Arisa Akita_

Love the power of the yo-yo creator!!! *cackles evilly* But truthfully, I hate stopping myself. I'm such a procrastinator on top of being busy, but seeing as how I'm finally getting to all the fun stuff, I'll probably be updating a lot more often now.

Just be sure to let the evil minions know that *. .*

Anyhoo, onto the story!! (Again, sorry for any spelling errors and grammar errors)

* * *

"We still needed to talk to her, Joey! To just up and decide we can finish that later-" Kaiba couldn't find the word he was looking for. Sure, he was also upset seeing Akira in misery, and they had also received some useful information, but there were still confusing matters to deal with.

Joey, on the other hand, couldn't figure out what was pissing the brunette CEO off so much.

"Look, she gave us the name of a maid of yours who obviously seems to know what's going on! I didn't see the need in stressing her out anymore when we have someone else that we can talk to."

Brown locks swayed in frustration as Seto looked back at Joey.

"That's just it, Wheeler-" Seto only used Joey's last name now when he was extremely irritated with the blonde, "-I don't ever recall hiring anyone by the name of 'Aira', and believe me, I remember EVERYONE I hire."

Joey frowned at this, shoving the use of his last name away.

"Kaiba, I don't doubt that your memories good, but even I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, and you're telling me you can list every single maid you've hired, past and present?"

The mouse was really pushing its luck with the python in front of it, if mice were blonde and python's managed giant gaming companies. Dark blue eyes glared down at the blonde, as if trying to burn a hole through his head.

"Yes,_ Wheeler_, but if its so hard for you to believe, I'll go get my records and YOU can inform me of the status of my employees, since I of all people wouldn't know"

A rough knock to the shoulder stated to Joey that the conversation was over, as Kaiba walked past him and into his office.

Being the type who can easily get pissed off if provoked, Joey stormed after the CEO, demonstrating that even if the other had shut the topic, the blonde was definitely not going to let it close anytime soon.

* * *

"I saw what happened, Akira…." A shiver was all the response the red eyed girl received as she peered at Akira, curled up, a thin sheet pulled tightly to her. "…I apologize…"

Startled, Akira looked up finally at her reflection, which was standing, red eyes peering sadly at the floor.

"I didn't mean to put you in such a position….I didn't think that someone would take a hold of you…." Blood drops dripped from her fingers as she clenched her hand tightly.

The young girl on the bed moved surprised.

"That's just what Aira said!" her reflection grimaced slightly at the name, "Are…are you like Aira?"

Her reflection looked slightly aback by this before she smiled sadly.

"I wouldn't know…perhaps…"the girl turned slightly and laid her head against the metal, her eyes settling on the green eyes of Akira. "If she wishes to keep you safe from the person who controlled you….then I guess you could say so.."

Akira looked a bit confused at this.

"You know who it was?" The other turned her eyes, a scowl on her face.

"Yes… that's why I found it necessary to talk to you….she wishes you harm, and now that you came in contact with the item, she will find you…like she found me….in fact-" bright green eyes widened in fear as the red eyes glanced at her harshly, "she's almost here now to take control of you…"

Akira became afraid. If that person came and gained control of her, then she would become like before, when she had hurt her Tou-san. Turning to the monitor next to her, Akira hacked into the mainframe and hooked her self up to a broadcast of the hallway.

There was a woman with long blonde hair. Akira had seen this maid once or twice before, but other than that this woman had never shown any acknowledgment to her existence. If she really couldn't locate Akira without the puzzle, then it made sense.

Rushing across the room, the white cotton blanket whipping along with her and pulling the wires from the monitor out, Akira made her way closer to the red eyed girl, who didn't once flinch as she approached desperately.

"Oh please! You must help me! I don't want to hurt my family…I… I need to hide!" A piercing gaze studied her from the metal casting on the wall before the other reached out, being stopped by the wall from touching the other.

"There is a way, but you're going to have to trust me" Akira stared into the others eyes before she nodded, the sound of footsteps out the door rushing her decision. The red eyed girl placed her hands against the surface and looked straight into the green eyes of Akira.

"There is still a trace of the puzzle on you, and with this I can guarantee protection. I will be able to help you to a point, however, in order for me to focus on this you must shut your conscious self down." Akira's eyes widened.

"But, then I won't be able to move and-" the red eyed girl interrupted.

"Trust me Akira… I can protect you. The more time we waste, the faster the opportunity slips for me to protect you..."

Akira glanced at the door as she heard the footsteps approaching closer and then back at the red eyed girl. She nodded, before her world went black as her power shut off.

* * *

Blonde hair rushed down the hallway, as another maid chased after her, a basket of wet clothes in her hand.

"Camilla! Camilla where are you going?! We still have to finish-" but blonde haired woman waived her questions away with her hand as she rushed on.

"I can't! Something important! Do it without me!" And with that, Aphrodite managed to lose the other maid as she traveled much faster than the other.

She had felt something a couple of hours ago, until it faded almost immediately. It was Akira, the young daughter of the 4 Fate had brought together, and who she had been trying to contact ever since arriving. Somehow, someone had blocked her from being able to contact not only the young child, but her parents as well, and she knew just who that person was. She could even be standing right next to the child, and not even know it. Unable to contact the others, she was forced to figure out what was taking place in the house by relying soully on the gossip and revelations of the other staff. And finally, when she had been readying a vat of clothes for the wash, she felt a tug.

It was a small tug on the mental path she had left open to locate the young girl, and had faded away fast, but she felt in none the less. The blonde woman became desperate to feel the tug again, to figure out where the other was before the access was blocked again.

She had her chance as the clothes in the wash were about to come out, when the tug happened again, stronger and more aware this time. Aphrodite quickly clung to the presence at the other end of the line.

Akira had just woken up in the basement and that was all Aphrodite had needed to know before she rushed off. It took her a lot longer to get there than she anticipated, mostly trying to shake off the maid who had followed her about, and also trying to keep the line open, but she soon found herself outside the room.

Jerald, the calculator flew out from Aphrodite's apron as she approached the door.

"Did you find her?!" He was on edge ever since they couldn't find a way to contact the others, and had been berating Aphrodite none stop for not warning the others sooner. The blonde nodded as she stopped in front of the keypad.

"Hurry Jerald, the other is in there with her. When need to get her out of there bef-" but the beautiful blonde was cut short as the door opened on its own.

Standing in the doorway, Akira stood, her head lowered, and she was crying, her hands covering her face.

"Akira!" Aphrodite immediately knelt in front of the young girl, admiring her first look at the child, as she placed her hands gently on Akira's shoulders.

"..s…scary…l..lady…" Akira hiccuped as she cried slightly, rubbing her eyes.

Aphrodite's expression turned serious as she peered desperately at the child.

"Where Akira? Where's the scary lady at?"

Without looking up, Akira pulled one hand down, her eyes closed tightly as she sniffled and pointed into the room.

Aphrodite hugged the girl gently.

"It's alright now Akira. I'll protect you." With that, the goddess rose and slowly entered the room, looking about.

She didn't see anyone, and knew the other wouldn't be as easy to trace through a link like Akira had been. She would have to approach this gently.

"Where Akira? Where did you see the scary lady?"

"Don't you know silly?" Aphrodite's eyes widened at the sudden sarcasm that was dripping from the voice. Turning around slowly, her eyes met the crimson stare of Akira, mere inches away from her. "The scary lady-" Akira smirked as she reached up and touched Aphrodite's shocked face, "-Is you"

Static electricity shot down Aphrodite's throat and into her face as she was sent flying across the room by the other.

Bleeding between blonde locks, the young woman looked up in time to notice Akira shocking the inside control unit to the doors of the room and walking out between the closing doors, glancing back, her smile sinister.

"Now that you're out of my way, I'll have enough time left to reach the puzzle before the power remaining on her fades and I have to retreat. Tata for now, Goddess of Love" Aphrodite pulled herself up and tried to make it to the door before it closed, but only failed miserably, her leg broken from the force of the blow earlier, her eyes only able to hold the cold stare of the red eyes through the cracks of the doors as they shut tight.

* * *

Kaiba was in the middle of trying to control his temper. He had been right in stating that Aira did not exist on any list of employees he had.

Yugi was worried out of his mind, as he paced in front of Kaiba's desk, and Joey was sullen that he had been wrong as well as worried for their daughter.

Yami was still recovering from his wounds, as he lay on the couch in the office, but still looked just as concerned.

They had been through the facts over and over again.

Akira saw a girl the first night as well as Kaiba having the dream about Fate. Afterwards, Yugi has a dream and is attacked by a mysterious man in it. When he wakes, he finds fingerprints on his neck. Akira agreed to help the girl in the mirror and questioned her parents on the puzzle and its abilities. While near the puzzle, probably warranting others access to her body since it was well known that, even if she was there daughter, and it was hard to say, she didn't have a soul, she was controlled by someone else and attacked Yami. She has also been in and out of contact with a mysterious woman named Aira.

There were to strange woman Akira had been talking to in total: 1) the girl in the mirror and 2) the lady named Aira who seemed to know what was going on.

Joey had offered a thought that maybe Fate was connected, but nothing warranted that other than the fact that there had been a couple of dreams about her around the same time as the events that were unfolding. She had asked for help, but hadn't appeared again since then. How to help someone who was dead was baffling.

In Kaiba's opinion, as much as he seemed to hold gratitude and a slight like for the woman, she wasn't his top priority.

Aira was more of a concern. Just what was she to Akira? A friend or a foe? Why was she there? And why was this all happening to their daughter?

Earlier Yugi and Yami both tried to see about the mirror and had failed to find anything magical about it. Yugi offered the opinion that maybe, because of the way Akira was, she was the only one who COULD see and hear the other.

But could this pose a threat to Akira's safety if they asked her to try and talk to the girl? There had been an indication that girl might be harmful to the other since she was the one who suggested Akira retrieve the puzzle. Had she already known of its power? Had it been a set up or a simple misunderstanding? Asking her might be helpful, but who's to say she wouldn't lie?

In the end, Yami settled for something that no one had thought of yet.

"Let's try and talk to Aphrodite about the matter…she might be able to look more into being a Goddess or high being…." Yami coughed slightly and winced. He still hurt pretty badly from earlier, but even though the others had protested, he had insisted on being her as the discussed the matter at hand.

"That does sound like a good idea, but how the heck to we get a hold of her? It's not like she had a phone number or anything" Joey voiced his frustration.

Yugi nodded as well at this. "I know, and she also hasn't been to visit in ages. It's almost like she's avoiding us."

"AGH!! APHRODITE, IF YOU HEAR ME, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!!" Joey caused everyone to jump as he yelled at the ceiling, making threatening gestures.

Right at that, a loud tap hit the door, soon followed by more insistent tapping.

"Hey it worked!" Impressed, Joey strode over to the office door and pulled it open.

At first, he thought he was seeing things, so he tried rubbing his eyes and looked again.

Nope, he wasn't wrong, there was a calculator floating outside the door. It took him awhile to grasp that he had seen this before.

But before he made a move or another comment, the calculator flew past him in a hurry, causing the others to eye it strangely.

Well, except for Kaiba whose memory was solid.

"You're that calculator that was around when Fate died. Did Aphrodite send you?"

The calculator seemed to wheeze and sputter, which reciprocated into random numbers being sputtered across the screen, before it hissed.

"No time…for….formalities…your daughter…danger!"

"WHAT?!" Kaiba nearly jumped over the desk as Joey started to head for the door.

"Wait! She..she's not there…anymore…" the calculator sputtered as it tried to catch it's breath, which is pretty weird coming from a floating calculator, but it obviously exerted itself somehow.

Joey rushed and grasped the floating object, pulling it closer.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" The calculator seemed to struggle as Yugi grabbed Joey's arm.

"Let go Joey!" Joey glanced at Yugi before letting Jerald go, who's buttons fluttered in agitation.

"The other has control of her…She's headed to the puzzle… you have to stop her before she gets there-"

Joey didn't wait any longer as he bolted out the room, quickly followed by Kaiba.

He felt stupid now for leaving Akira by herself, but nothing had suggested that she would be in any danger where she was, as they rushed the gaming room.

Joey only hopped they weren't too late.

* * *

Akira stood outside the double doors leading to the room and smiled. True, one of her legs had shut down on the way up, making it more difficult to get here, but now she was closer to her goal than ever, and would enjoy every second of it. Pushing the doors open, her eyes landed on her prize before another figure blocked her line of vision.

She smiled as she fully took in the site of the battered individual in front of her, "I never thought I'd see you here when your in such a weak state, Aira"

The dark haired woman stood in front of the item, staring back at the small figure of Akira, but with no sign of adoration.

"Let her go." Aira stated simply, as she stared at the other.

Akira laughed darkly, as she moved closer into the room.

"Why? I'm granting you your wish, am I not?"

"This is not what I want"

"Liar…." Akira smirked dangerously as she placed herself directly in front of the other. "This is exactly what we've wanted; you were just made to forget. But I remembered for you." Reaching out, she let her good hand touch the woman's face, who seemed to be having a hard time breathing now while in such close proximity of the other.

"Stop this…please…" Aira moaned slightly, as she clutched at her chest, the smaller smiling at her.

"Is that what you've been reduced to? Begging? You should know that such things don't help at all…", she paused as she studied the other and shrugged, "..but you've reached your limit, anyhow. I'm a lot stronger than you are now Aira. How do you plan on stopping me?"

Aira's hand moved like lighting as she wheezed and onto Akira's throat, pushing her back slightly, as she grabbed her own neck in pain.

"I'll hold you off…until the others get here….so help me…"

Akira smiled nastily at the other, static electricity sparkling down her arm.

"If that's what you want, than fine. Killing you will be fun…" And that was all that was left said on the matter before she struck at the other, electricity sending the other shooting back and onto the glass case of the puzzle, causing it to tip over and crash the floor, shattering, the puzzle sliding to the other side of the room.

"Come on Aira, you can fight better than that. You're making this easy" Akira smirked as she walked up the struggling figure of the other, kicking her in the stomach. "You're no fun at all" Shrugging, Akira turned and started to head towards the puzzle.

Aira glared up through her gasping and grabbed and struggled up. Bracing a run, she slid onto the ground, through the shards of glass, onto Akira's leg, sending the other crashing to the ground. Moving fast, Aira slid on top of the off guard Akira and wrapped her fingers around the others throat.

"If you don't get out yourself, I'll force you out" She hissed as her fingers tightened their grip.

There was a bang at one end of the wall before a voice echoed throughout the room.

"AKIRA!!"

Aira's head whipped around, catching site of Kaiba and Joey, the two staring at her, at first in anger and then in surprise, as the burst into the room.

The two were having a hard time grasping what they were seeing, and the blonde was the first one to utter the one thing that was clear in his mind amidst the confusion of what he was seeing.

"…Fate?..."

Aira's eyes stared sadly over at Joey. "You can…see me?" Tears seemed to well in her eyes.

If either had been paying attention, they might have been able to stop what happened next.

A horrible ripping, squishing sound was heard, followed by a horrible rush of what sounded like thick paint splattering on the floor. Aira eyes widened in shock as she looked down at Akira, who's arm was punctured through her chest, her hand buried deep within her body.

Joey's eyes widened in horror at the sound, and though he couldn't see what happened, he was full aware by the site of blood that was rushing on the ground, and the way Akira's arms stayed straight, that she had stabbed the other.

"A..Akira...." It was all Joey could muster as he stared in horror at the emotionless red eyes of what appeared to be his daughter.

Kaiba wasn't even able to find his voice.

With another sickening squish, Aira slumped back slightly, as the little girl below her stood up. Glancing over at the two men, her eyes shining crimson, she pulled Aira off the ground, her hand still buried in her chest, as she allowed the others to see what she had done.

Kaiba had to force himself not to become physically sick at the sight of Akira's arm buried deep within the others chest, a sick smile playing on the child's face, before her gaze settled on Aira's still features.

"I thank you for allowing me to get rid of the other part of my soul easier. Though, it may be comforting to know, I still have a use for the body at least." With that, Akira raised her other hand, which was holding the golden cast triangle puzzle in her slender fingers.

Kaiba rushed forward, despite the sight in front of him. What was sure was that this was not Akira and someone else, and to stop them, he had to pry the puzzle away.

But it was no use as he approached.

Mere inches away from his goal, a terrible invisible force blasted him and Joey off their feet and against the wall.

A glow filled the room, and glancing up, both saw Aira standing, the wound on her chest gone, and holding the puzzle in her hand. Akira started to slump before the older woman caught her, and pulled her into her arms smiling at the fallen two.

"I would love to stick around and catch up, but I have other things to do…have a nice day". Turning slightly, one of her fingers extended and stretched across the air, causing a weird white line to appear in the center of the room.

Joey realized what she was planning and rushed forward, Akira still in the other woman's arms as she stepped backwards into the light, disappearing as soon as Joey was in reach.

Akira was gone.

* * *

**LefthandedFreak:** There was about 20 or so places I really wanted to stop at, because it would be really climatic, but I didn't feel any of them measured up to the ending I have. There are a few places in here I don't really care for, but there necessary in order to complete the story. Sorry if it's a bit confusing. It made since in my head.

**JFM:** Everything, even stupid things, make sense to an idiot like you.

**LefthandedFreak: ***beats him with a toaster* READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!


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